St. Simons Island Light
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| Location | Saint Simons Island, Georgia |
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| Coordinates | 31°08′00″N 81°23′36″W / 31.1334°N 81.3933°W |
| Year first constructed | 1811 |
| Year first lit | 1872 |
| Automated | 1954 |
| Foundation | Tabby |
| Construction | Iron and brick |
| Tower shape | Frustum of a cone |
| Markings / pattern | White tower attached to a two-story brick dwelling with red roof |
| Height | 104 ft |
| Original lens | Third-order Fresnel lens |
| Characteristic | continuous white light with a more intense flash every 60 s |
| Admiralty number | J2842 |
| ARLHS number | USA-805[1][2] |
| USCG number | 3-0520 |
The St. Simons Island Light is a lighthouse on the southern tip of St. Simons Island, Georgia, United States. It guides ships into St. Simons Sound and warns of the many sandbars in the area.
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[edit] Original structure
The original St. Simons Island lighthouse was built in 1810, which was a 75-foot-tall (23 m) early federal octagonal lighthouse topped by a 10-foot (3.0 m) oil-burning lamp. During the American Civil War, U.S. military forces employed a Naval blockade of the coast. An invasion by Union troops in 1862 forced Confederate soldiers to abandon the area. The retreating troops destroyed the lighthouse to prevent it from being an aid to the navigation of Union warships.
[edit] Current structure
The U.S. government constructed a new lighthouse to replace the original, building it to the west of the original's location. It is a 104-foot (32 m) brick structure completed in 1872 and was outfitted with a third-order, biconvex Fresnel lens. The lens is one of only 70 such lenses that remain operational in the United States. Sixteen of those are in use on the Great Lakes of which eight are in Michigan.[3] The rotating lens projects four beams of light, with one strong flash every 60 seconds. A cast iron spiral stairway with 129 steps leads to the galley. In 1876 the lighthouse was overhauled. In 1934 the kerosene-burning lamp was replaced by a 1000-watt electrical light. In 1939 the lighthouse was placed under the jurisdiction of the US Coast Guard. About 1953 the lighthouse was fully automated. The tower underwent restoration in 1989-91 and again in 1997-98. In 2004, ownership of the lighthouse was transferred to the Coastal Georgia Historical Society under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act.
The two-story Victorian light keeper's residence, located at the base of the lighthouse, has been converted into a museum. For a fee, the public can tour the museum, and climb to the top of the lighthouse for a view of St. Simons Sound and the surrounding area.
The St. Simons Lighthouse, along with the northernmost water tower on Jekyll Island, creates the demarcation line that separates St. Simons Sound from the Atlantic Ocean.
The lighthouse is a picturesque and beloved symbol of St. Simons Island, and Glynn County, GA. It is the subject of many paintings and other artistic renderings.[4]
[edit] 2010 restoration
In 2010, the St. Simons Island lighthouse underwent a major renovation. It was closed to the public for several months while all interior and exterior paint was sandblasted off, and then repainted. Eight iron handrail posts at the top of the tower were replaced, having been recast from one of the originals. All ironwork was sandblasted and repaired as needed. Great lengths were taken to protect the valuable Fresnel lens during the restoration. It was bubble wrapped, shrink wrapped, and then finally enclosed in a plywood box. A temporary spotlight attached to the galley of the lighthouse continued to guide ships into the Sound while the main light was out of operation.
[edit] Image gallery
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Original lighthouse, in 1848
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Current lighthouse, in 2008
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Lighthouse, long view, 2008
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Under restoration, 2010
[edit] Notes
[edit] Further reading
- Jones, Ray, (1988) Southeastern Lighthouses.
- McCarthy, Kevin (1988) Georgia's Lighthouses and Historic Coastal Sites.
- Sullivan, Buddy, The Lighthouses of Georgia, The Keeper's Log, Spring 1988.
[edit] External links
- Coastal Georgia Historical Society
- Georgia's Coastal Lighthouses
- Coastal Georgia Historical Society, St. Simons Island Lighthouse website.
- Huelse, Klaus -- Meine Leuchtturm-Seite: Leuchttürme USA auf historischen Postkarten -- Historic postcard images of U.S. lighthouses, Historic Post Card View — St. Simons Island Lighthouse.
- Lighthouse Friends, St. Simons Island Lighthouse.
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Georgia". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/ga.htm.
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