Tybee Island Light

Tybee Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Georgia, United States, next to the Savannah River Entrance, on the northeast end of Tybee Island, Georgia.

History

The original Tybee Island Lighthouse was built in 1736 and was a wooden tower. It was destroyed in 1741 by a storm. In 1742, the second lighthouse, made of stone and wood, was finished. In 1773 the third lighthouse was completed and had a brick 100 ft (30 m) tower. The light was refitted with 16-inch reflectors in 1841. In 1857 the light was renovated and fitted with a second-order lens.

In 1862, during the American Civil War, the interior of the tower and the lantern were destroyed by fire and the lens was removed. By 1865, the beacon had been relighted but not the main light. In 1857 a second order Fresnel lens was installed. In 1867, a new brick and cast iron lighthouse was built. The lower sixty feet of the previous light was used as the foundation for the new 144 ft (44 m) tall tower, and equipped with a 1st order Fresnel lens

In 1869, Tybee beacon was moved back 165 feet (50 m) as the site was threatened by storms. In 1871, gales, which had caused great damage along the southern coast, had so greatly damaged the tower that is was reported cracked and liable to fall at any time. The encroachment of the sea upon the southerly point of Tybee Island made it necessary to remove the front beacon, a skeleton frame structure, and set it back 400 feet (120 m) on a new foundation in 1873. It had to be moved still farther back in 1879.

The 1867 lighthouse is open to the public

Chronology

• 1736: The first lighthouse, a wooden tower, was built on Tybee Island.
• 1741: The first light was washed away by a storm.
• 1742: March: The second lighthouse, made of stone and wood, was finished.
• 1768: The building of a third lighthouse was authorized.
• 1773: The third lighthouse was completed. This brick lighthouse with wooden stairs was 100 feet (30 m) tall.
• 1790: The lighthouse and its property were ceded to the Federal Government.
• 1857: A second order Fresnel lens was installed.
• 1861: Confederate soldiers set fire to the light to prevent its use by Federal troops during the Civil War. Union forces watched rebel troops at the nearby Fort Pulaski using the damaged tower.
• 1866: A new brick and cast iron lighthouse was authorized. The lower sixty feet of the previous light was used as the foundation for the new 154-foot (47 m) tall tower equipped with a first order Fresnel lens.
• 1867: October 1: The new light was first lit.
• 1933: The fuel to light the lamp in the lens was converted from kerosene to electricity.
• 1939: The United States Coast Guard took over operations at the light until 1987.
• 1987: The United States Coast Guard moved their operations to Cockspur Island.
• 2002: The Tybee Island Historical Society operates the lighthouse. The octagonal brick tower now rises 145 feet (44 m) above ground and 144 feet (44 m) above water, exhibiting a fixed white electric light from a first-order lens visible for 18 miles (29 km). It is open to the public. Restoration of several buildings on the site is currently underway.