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 1862 and then rebuilt using the first 60 feet as the base. It is still active today and is considered one of the country’s most complete and well-maintained light stations. Tours are available. The first photo is dated 1885.

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 its base in 2008. It is one of the most threatened lighthouses in the country. The first photo is dated 1873.

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 1888 appearance. In 2005 it began showing outdoor movies projected on to the lighthouse walls (see photo five). The first photo is dated 1895 and the third is from the 1920s.

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 the middle of a major US highway. It was on Mississippi’s license plates from 2007 to 2012 and on a US stamp in 2009. Daily tours are available. The first photo is dated 1892 and the third is from 1909.

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. It sits all of 15 feet above sea level and is open for tours. The first photo is dated 1865

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 kept handy. The lighthouse was automated in 1956 and remained in service until 1995. It was relit on December 31, 1999, to help usher in the new millenium. The first photo is undated

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 park but kept the lighthouse. In 2004 a 1.2 million-dollar restoration was completed. The first photo is dated 1900, the third is undated and the fifth is from the 1970s.