St. Simons Island Light
Encyclopedia
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.
, 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 warship
s.
constructed a new lighthouse to replace the original, building it to the west of the original's location. It is a 104 feet (31.7 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. 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.
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.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
On the southern tip of St. Simons Island, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It guides ships into St. Simons Sound
St. Simons Sound
St. Simons Sound is a sound in Georgia that lies between Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island. It is part of the waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to the South Brunswick River to the port at Brunswick, Georgia. The St. Simons lighthouse stands on the north side of the sound....
and warns of the many sandbars in the area.
Original structure
The original St. Simons Island lighthouse was built in 1810, which was a 75 feet (22.9 m) early federal octagonal lighthouse topped by a 10 feet (3 m) oil-burning lamp. During the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, U.S. military forces employed a Naval blockade
Union blockade
The Union Blockade, or the Blockade of the South, took place between 1861 and 1865, during the American Civil War, when the Union Navy maintained a strenuous effort on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the Confederate States of America designed to prevent the passage of trade goods, supplies, and arms...
of the coast. An invasion by Union troops in 1862 forced Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
soldiers to abandon the area. The retreating troops destroyed the lighthouse to prevent it from being an aid to the navigation of Union warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
s.
Current structure
The U.S. governmentFederal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
constructed a new lighthouse to replace the original, building it to the west of the original's location. It is a 104 feet (31.7 m) brick structure completed in 1872 and was outfitted with a third-order, biconvex 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...
. 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
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
of which eight are in Michigan. The rotating lens projects four beams of light, with one strong flash every 60 seconds. A cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
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
National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act
The National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 is American legislation creating a process for the transfer of federally-owned lighthouses into private hands...
.
The two-story Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
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
St. Simons Sound
St. Simons Sound is a sound in Georgia that lies between Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island. It is part of the waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to the South Brunswick River to the port at Brunswick, Georgia. The St. Simons lighthouse stands on the north side of the sound....
and the surrounding area.
The St. Simons Lighthouse, along with the northernmost water tower on Jekyll Island
Jekyll Island
Jekyll Island is an island off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia, in Glynn County; it is one of the Sea Islands and one of the Golden Isles of Georgia. The city of Brunswick, Georgia, the Marshes of Glynn, and several other islands, including the larger St. Simons Island, are nearby...
, creates the demarcation line
Demarcation line
A demarcation line means simply a boundary around a specific area, but is commonly used to denote a temporary geopolitical border, often agreed upon as part of an armistice or ceasefire.See the following examples:...
that separates St. Simons Sound
St. Simons Sound
St. Simons Sound is a sound in Georgia that lies between Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island. It is part of the waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to the South Brunswick River to the port at Brunswick, Georgia. The St. Simons lighthouse stands on the north side of the sound....
from the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
The lighthouse is a picturesque
Picturesque
Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year 1770, a practical book which instructed England's...
and beloved symbol of St. Simons Island, and Glynn County, GA. It is the subject of many paintings and other artistic renderings.
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 ironworkIronwork
Ironwork is any weapon, artwork, utensil or architectural feature made of iron especially used for decoration. There are two main types of ironwork wrought iron and cast iron. While the use of iron dates as far back as 4000BC, it was the Hittites who first knew how to extract it and develop weapons...
was sandblasted and repaired as needed. Great lengths were taken to protect the valuable 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...
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.
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.
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.
