# 5625 - 2021 First-Class Forever Stamp - Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses: Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, Maryland

US #5625
2021 Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse – Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses – American Lighthouses Series

• One of five stamps picturing the last lighthouse illustrations made by renowned stamp artist Howard Koslow for the USPS
• Part of the popular Lighthouses stamp series

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses
Series:  American Lighthouses
Value:  55¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  August 6, 2021
First Day City:  Highlands, New Jersey
Quantity Issued:  40,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset
Format:  Panes of 20
Tagging:  Phosphor, block tag

Why the stamp was issued:  To celebrate the beauty and history of Thomas Point Shoal lighthouse in the state of Maryland.

About the stamp designs:  Pictures an illustration by Howard Koslow of Thomas Point Shoal lighthouse in Maryland.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue Ceremony took place at the Twin Lights Historic Site in Highlands, New Jersey.

About the Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses set:  Includes five stamp designs picturing illustrations by Howard Koslow of a different Mid-Atlantic lighthouse:  Thomas Point Shoal, Maryland;  Montauk Point, New York;  Harbor of Refuge, Delaware;  Navesink, New Jersey;  and Erie Harbor Pierhead, Pennsylvania.  Koslow was also the artist for past issues of the Lighthouse series.  The mid-Atlantic lighthouses were the last illustrations he created for the Postal Service.

About the American Lighthouses Series:  The American Lighthouses Series began in 1990, with each stamp design picturing artwork created by Howard Koslow for the USPS.  Each set has represented a different geographic region of the United States.  This series honors the historic importance and beauty of our nation’s lighthouses as well as the value of preserving them for generations to come. 

The following regions were represented in the years indicated below:

1990 – Washington state, North Carolina, Maine, Florida, and New Jersey (US #2470-74)
1995 – Great Lakes (US #2969-73)
2003 – Southeastern (US #3787-91)
2007 – Pacific Coast (US #4146-50)
2009 – Gulf Coast (US #4409-4795)
2013 – New England (US #4791-95)
2021 – Mid-Atlantic (US #5621-25)

History the stamp represents:  Thomas Point Shoal Light is located off the coast of Maryland, in the Chesapeake Bay.  It is a screw-pile lighthouse, meaning it is built on metal posts (piles) screwed into the bottom of the bay.

The first lighthouse on Thomas Point was built in 1825 on shore and consisted of a stone tower.  It was later replaced in 1838, but did not hold up well against the erosion of the point.  In 1873, Congress finally decided a screw-pile light would be a better fit for the region.  Thomas Point Shoal Light was built out in the bay in 1875 and lit for the first time that November.  The cast iron beams holding up the lighthouse were sunk 12 feet into the bottom of the bay to keep the structure secure.

Being exposed in the bay, the Thomas Point Shoal Light has been subject to much battering over the years.  In fact, in 1877, winter ice shook the original lens loose and destroyed it.  After the lens was replaced, additional supports were added to the screw-pile foundation, providing more stability.  By 1964, it was the last manned lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay.  It was automated in 1986.

As of 2021, the Thomas Point Shoal Light was the last unaltered screw-pile cottage-type lighthouse on its original foundation in the Chesapeake Bay.  It is a symbol of Maryland and represents its rich history.