The Old Harbor Light, which is also known as the Savannah Harbor Rear Range Light or the Beacon Range Light, is a former aid to navigation in

Emmet Park Emmet Park, also known as The Strand, is an urban park in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Its most prominent section is located in the northeastern corner of the city's historic downtown area, in what was known as the Old Fort neighborhood, ...

on East Bay Street in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

. The light has the appearance of a giant

street light A street light, light pole, lamp pole, lamppost, street lamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or path. Similar lights may be found on a railway platform. When urban electric power distribution ...

. under "Savannah Harbor Range Rear (Beacon Range, Old Harbor Light)" It is within the boundaries of Savannah Historic District and was erected by the federal government in 1858,Georgia Historical Society
/ref> contemporary with most of the structures in the district.

History

The light was erected by the United States Lighthouse Board in 1858 as the rear range light with the front light on Fig Island to guide ships into the Savannah Harbor and avoid the six British ships, which were scuttled in 1779 to impede French and American ships during the Revolutionary War. The light was moved a few feet south in 1869. The light was refurbished in 1929. It was turned off during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1958, the Trustees Garden Club developed the eastern portion of Emmet Park. At that time, the light was in poor shape due to salt water corrosion and was stabilized with cables. Restoration of the Old Harbor Light was planned as part of a major project to restore Savannah's monuments. With contributions of $125,000 from the ''

Savannah Morning News The ''Savannah Morning News'' is a daily newspaper in Savannah, Georgia. It is published by Gannett. The motto of the paper is "Light of the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry". The paper serves Savannah, its metropolitan area, and parts of South Ca ...

'' and

CSX Corporation CSX Corporation is an American holding company focused on rail transportation and real estate in North America, among other industries. The company was established in 1980 as part of the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries merger. T ...

, the light was taken down in 2000 and moved to a nearby fabricator. Rust was removed by chemical treatment, repairs were made, it was repainted, and the light was cleaned. It was re-erected and relit on January 11, 2001.

Design

The light has a cast iron shaft and resembles a giant street light. It is tall with a focal plane above the river. It may have been imported from England or France. It is reported to have originally been a red light. It is now lit with a decorative gas light.

References

{{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1858 Buildings and structures in Savannah, Georgia Lighthouses in Georgia (U.S. state) Historic district contributing properties in Georgia (U.S. state) National Register of Historic Places in Savannah, Georgia Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state)