March 14, 2010 - St. George Island Lighthouse
Read More
Lighthouses have a certain fascination for people. Even though many lighthouses have been decommissioned these days, the nostalgia associated with them moves people to want to preserve them. Here is the story of the lighthouse that has been reconstructed on St. George Island in Florida.
The original lighthouse was built in 1833 on the westernmost tip of St. George Island. It was destroyed by a storm and, because it was difficult to see, was rebuilt in a different area of the island in 1848. A hurricane soon destroyed the second lighthouse and it was rebuilt a third time in 1852. This one stood for many years. Even though it was built 500 yards inland, the ocean kept eroding the coastline of the island until the lighthouse was at the water’s edge. Two more hurricanes and constant wave action caused it to collapse on Oct. 21, 2005. In January 2006, I was able to take this photo of the remains of the lighthouse.
A committee was formed to restore the lighthouse using as many of the original materials as possible. Large chunks of the lighthouse were transported to Eastpoint on the mainland and stored for use in the restoration. This photo, taken in January, 2007, shows the chunks of bricks. Volunteers from all along the Gulf attended “brick cleaning parties.” They used jackhammers to break apart the bricks. Then, each brick was cleaned individually to remove the old mortar.
A small museum and visitor center was the first building constructed on the lighthouse site. Volunteers provide information about the lighthouse project and the exhibits in the building.
The lighthouse was completed and opened to the public on December 1, 2008. The walls are 4 feet thick, as they were in the original lighthouse. The original bricks were used on the inside walls where they could be seen by visitors. At night, there is once again a light which can be seen 13 miles out to sea.
This year, during our stay on St. George Island, the light keeper’s house was being reconstructed next to the lighthouse. I have just given you a brief sketch of the rebuilding process. For a more extensive story of the reconstruction process go to http://www.stgeorgelight.org and look through the Photo Gallery.
Add a comment in the space below.