The Havre de Grace Light Station (including the Lighthouse, Keeper’s House, and outhouse) was built in 1827 by Captain John Donahoo (1786-1858), a veteran of the War of 1812, who was responsible for building many of the early lighthouses on the Chesapeake Bay. This was one of eight lighthouses designed by John Donahoo and built to coincide with the opening of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, linking the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. Donahoo was born in Cecil County and died in Havre de Grace, where he was a respected businessman. The General Assembly of Maryland in 1826 authorized the construction of this lighthouse because of the numerous vessels lost in this area. Its location is also the approximate location of the “Potato Battery,” so named because of the size of the shot hurled by its two 6-pound and one 9-pound cannon. It is also where 15 to 20 barges of British troops attacked the city on May 3, 1813, sent “hissing rockets” onto the roofs of homes, and where John O’Neill tried to defend the town before getting injured and taken prisoner. Some reports state that O’Neill was accompanied by Philip Albert, who was also injured. Having been confined aboard the British flagship Maidstone, he was scheduled to be shot at dawn. But his life was saved by his daughter, Matilda, who rowed out to the flagship and pleaded with Admiral Cockburn to release her father. It is said that he did so because he was so impressed with her courage.

This is one of the oldest lighthouses in continual operation on the east coast and the second oldest tower lighthouse still standing on the Chesapeake Bay. The stone walls, 37 inches thick at the base, with an interior diameter of 11 feet, were constructed of Port Deposit granite. A circular granite stairway takes up the entire core of the structure. A cupola constructed of metal with rectangular glass panes surmounts the tower.

Lt. John O'Neill was appointed as the first light keeper, in recognition of his bravery when the British attacked the town on May 3, 1813. He lived here from 1827 until his death in 1838. The position was maintained by O'Neill descendants until the Lighthouse was automated in 1918. On the water side you can see an O’Neill monument with a cannon used in the defense of Havre de Grace when the British bombarded, looted, and burned the town. On November 14, 1914, a ceremony was held at Concord Point Lighthouse to unveil the “Centennial Memorial to John O’Neill.” Raising the flag for the ceremony were Henry E. O’Neill and J. William O’Neill, grandsons of John O’Neill and a committee of prominent citizens presided over by Millard E. Tydings, a great-great-grandson. The ceremony was preceded by a parade through town with 100 schoolchildren who sang patriotic songs. The memorial was unveiled by Naomi O’Neill Tydings and Esther O’Neill Jackson, great-great-granddaughters of John O’Neill and was accepted by Rev. Lewis Beeman Brown, rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, on behalf of Mayor Carroll. The War of 1812 cannon is mounted on a 5,000-lb granite base with a plaque attached. The memorial was unveiled by Naomi O’Neill Tydings and Esther O’Neill Jackson, great-great granddaughters of John O’Neill.

In an economic measure, the Coast Guard decommissioned the Lighthouse as an active light in November 1975. The original Fifth Order Fresnel lens disappeared shortly after that. It had been polygonal in shape, 36” high and 14” in diameter.

This lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It was given to the City of Havre de Grace in 1977 and in 1979 the Friends of Concord Point Lighthouse formed an organization to begin its restoration. They succeeded and the lighthouse is now open to the public for climbing on a regular schedule and is maintained by the Friends of Concord Point.