Lighthouses-Gulf Coast

Seventy miles off Key West, Florida, lie the Dry Tortugas, which consist of 7 small islands. One of them–Garden Key– is the site of Fort Jefferson which is the country’s largest coastal fort and also the country’s largest masonry structure. It takes up 11 of Garden Key’s 16 acres. Construction started in 1846 and lasted … Continue reading »

Tybee Lighthouse is located at the mouth of the Savannah River in Georgia where the river meets the Atlantic. It is 1 0f  7 colonial lighthouses still standing. Beginning in 1726 there have been 4 lighthouses on the site, the current one having been built in 1773. It was heavily damaged by the Confederates in … Continue reading »

Sand Island Lighthouse is located 3 miles off shore from Mobile Bay, Alabama. Originally situated on 400 acres, it now sits on just 1,  It was completed in 1873 using the same plans used for Bodie Island and Currituck lighthouses on the Outer Banks. It was automated in 1948, decommissioned in 1971, and stabilized around … Continue reading »

Point Isabel Lighthouse is located just south of South Padre Island near the Rio Grande River, which separates Texas and Mexico. The lighthouse was built in 1853 and extensively damaged by the Confederates during the Civil War. It was deactivated in 1905, but returned to service in 1955. In 2000 it was restored to its … Continue reading »

Biloxi Lighthouse on the Mississippi Gulf Coast was built in 1847. In that long history it has had the most number of female keepers of any lighthouse in the country. Such history also includes numerous hurricanes, including Katrina. Biloxi Lighthouse also has the distinction of being the only one in America to be situated in … Continue reading »

Key West Lighthouse is located at the tip of the southern most city in the US. It was built in 1848 and, 158 years later, still has the Fresnel lens installed in 1858 although the lighthouse was deactivated in 1969. During its years of service the same family were the keepers for over 80 years. … Continue reading »

Martagora Island Lighthouse is located on the Texas Gulf Coast and was built in 1852. In 1859 it was disassembled and moved 2 miles inland due to erosion. It was frequently exposed to hurricanes and bugs so plentiful they would block out the light. Even worse, rattlesnakes were a constant threat and antivenum was always … Continue reading »

Port Pontchartrain Lighthouse is located on Lake Pontchartrain Louisiana and was built in 1855. For 47 years–1882-1929– it had a series of three women lighthouse keepers. In 1939 the surrounding land was reclaimed resulting in an amusement park which lasted until 1983. In 1991 the University of New Orleans took over and made a research … Continue reading »