2 May 2026
Havre de Grace Tour
(continued)
Defenders Day activities would not start until 3:00, so we had plenty of time to explore the area around Concord Point park where the event would be held. The big attraction at this end of town is the lighthouse.
Concord Point lighthouse in Havre de Grace is different from many other lighthouses as the site where the lighthouse is located was not big enough to build a lighthouse with keepers quarters. The keepers house was, therefore, located across the street from the lighthouse.
Having walked miles yesterday and again this morning, my feet were aching, so I waited down below as Clark went up the stairs into the lighthouse for a look around. The lighthouse is small and a limited number of folks can be up there at one time, so Clark had to wait his turn until the three folks up there already exited. He took some pictures while at the top.
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| Fresnel Lens |
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| View of the Keeper's House from the lighthouse |
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| Looking towards the Susquehanna River |
Outside of the lighthouse, a man sat playing songs on his violin. He was one of several people dressed in historic garb.
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| Light keeper's house |
Outside the keeper's house, the grounds were well kept. The house had been "maintained" to have a realistic look.
We took a quick peek inside the keeper's house. It was very tight quarters. We were only allowed to see a small portion of the building. Anything on the upper level was cordoned off for "employees only". On the lower level we saw the "kitchen" area and another room that sold souvenirs.
Pictures of the lighthouse and keeper's house ...
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| Summertime |
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| Wintertime |
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| model of lighthouse |
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| Fresnel Lens from lighthouse (tiny compared to some we have seen) |
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| For sale in the gift shop Lighthouses of the Chesapeake Bay |
Beside the lighthouse stood a cannon.
The Defender's Day activities remembering the battle that took place here on May 3rd 1813 would not get going for a couple of hours, so we decided to walk around the area. We started with Concord Point park where we found a metal sculpture of a "school of fish" formed into the shape of a larger fish.
Food trucks and some other vendors appeared as we walked around and started to setup the display of their wares.
A River Walk runs along the edge of the Susquehanna River through this part of town. We decided to walk the walk and read the numerous boards that provided information on the town's history.
A fishing pier had carved wooden birds decorating the posts of the pier.
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| People fishing on the dock |
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| "Birds of the Chesapeake" |
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| Great Horned Owl |
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| Osprey |
We walked further on down the River Walk and entered a nature preserve.
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| Left natural on purpose stressing the benefit of driftwood |
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| Three of several turtles sunning themselves |
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| a squirrel nibbling on a snack |
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| A section for the "pollinators" |
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| Geese parents with babies nearby |
Continuing on our stroll, we came to the Maritime Museum. For $5 each, we went inside to look around.
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| Bell from a buoy over-sized ship's cleat |
Murals adorned the outside of the maritime museum.
The museum covered a variety of maritime-related exhibits.
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| Art on the wall in the museum |
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| Decoys |
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| "No Duck, No Dinner" |
Famous people from the area also earned exhibits.
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| John Smith explorer |
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| Commodore Rodgers: Captured 23 British Ships during the War of 1812 |
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| Susquehannocks Indians |
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| Frederick Douglas Escape through Havre de Grace |
References to the underground railroad that passed through Havre de Grace could be found here and around town.
After viewing the top floor, we took the elevator down to the lower level where boat restoration is underway.
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| Fond childhood memory for Clark |
From the Maritime Museum, we walked up for a peek at the Decoy Museum. To visit this museum would cost $8 per person and take 1.5 to 2 hours to do it justice. We decided to pass on viewing this one in detail.
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| Decoy Museum |
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| Iron bird sculpture |
After leaving the Decoy Museum grounds, we strolled around a park near the city marina.
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| "You Are Here" map |
Famous baseball player statue
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| Ernest Burke Elite Giants Baseball |
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| Stadium seats part of the Burke statue display |
Nearby we saw a WWI memorial with
Continuing our walk through town, we passed "The Bayou" a hotel that opened here in 1921. In 1984 this building became condominiums.
Earlier in the day, as we walked around by the lighthouse, Clark received a phone call from an old friend. He had reached out to friends, Helen and Jeff, because he knew they lived near here. We had not heard back but as we strolled by the lighthouse, his phone rang. Helen was out of town, but Jeff said he would come by after dinner to go for ice cream with us. Stopping at Bomboy's was on my "to do" list since I noticed it yesterday.
With our River Walk and museum tours completed, we headed back to the boat to eat dinner and then await Jeff's arrival. We had walked over six miles today, and my feet were "talking" to me. The town has a free shuttle, and as we walked back towards the marina one went by us. I flagged it down, and we jumped on for a ride. We got back to the marina in short order! I was happy to give my feet a rest.
For dinner, we cooked the pot pies we bought in the morning at the farmers market and ate the fresh vegetables we got at the same time. When Jeff arrived, Clark gave him a tour of the boat and then we headed off to find ice cream. By then, my feet were recovered enough to take me to ice cream!
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| Display in Window |
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| Ice Cream Sofa |
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| Ev & Clark |
When we left Bomboy's, we heard fireworks being fired off for Defender's Day. Clark loves fireworks and took some pictures of the show. Making our way back to the boat, Clark was occasionally walking backwards to keep one eye on the fireworks.
What a spectacular end to a great visit to a lovely small town. We leave first thing in the morning to make a mad dash for our home in New Jersey before the ocean gets angry in a three days time.
