Middle Bay Light
Encyclopedia
Middle Bay Light, also known as Middle Bay Lighthouse and Mobile Bay Lighthouse, is a hexagonal-shaped screw-pile lighthouse
offshore from Mobile, Alabama
, in the center of Mobile Bay.
Middle Bay Light was deactivated in 1967. The lighthouse was placed on National Register of Historic Places
on December 30, 1974. In 1984 the lighthouse was stabilized by Middle Bay Light Centennial Commission in preparation for the centennial celebration. In 1996 the Coast Guard
loaned the original Fresnel lens
to the Ft. Morgan Museum for public display. In 2002 restoration efforts were begun to repair the lighthouse.
physicist
who, in 1828, demonstrated the wave theory of light and changed the entire world's lighthouse illumination to the Fresnel System. The Fresnel lens collected the light radiated at random from a small light source and directed the rays to the horizon.
Whale oil was the first fuel used and the lighthouse tenders worked in shifts making sure that the lamps did not go out and smoke the lens. In later years kerosene was used and eventually they were converted to electricity.
Screw-pile lighthouse
A screw-pile lighthouse is a lighthouse which stands on piles that are screwed into sandy or muddy sea or river bottoms. The first screw-pile lighthouse was built by blind Irish engineer Alexander Mitchell...
offshore from Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, in the center of Mobile Bay.
History
The station was activated in 1885. In 1916 the keeper's wife gave birth to a baby that summer at the station. According to the Alabama Lighthouse Association web site, the keeper brought a dairy cow to the station and corralled it on a section of the lower deck because his wife was unable to nurse the newborn baby. All had to be evacuated when the station survived but was damaged by a hurricane that year. The light was automated in 1935.Middle Bay Light was deactivated in 1967. The lighthouse was placed on National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 30, 1974. In 1984 the lighthouse was stabilized by Middle Bay Light Centennial Commission in preparation for the centennial celebration. In 1996 the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
loaned the original Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
to the Ft. Morgan Museum for public display. In 2002 restoration efforts were begun to repair the lighthouse.
Fresnel lens
The Fresnel Lens was named for Augustin Jean Fresnel, a FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
who, in 1828, demonstrated the wave theory of light and changed the entire world's lighthouse illumination to the Fresnel System. The Fresnel lens collected the light radiated at random from a small light source and directed the rays to the horizon.
Whale oil was the first fuel used and the lighthouse tenders worked in shifts making sure that the lamps did not go out and smoke the lens. In later years kerosene was used and eventually they were converted to electricity.