The Sabine Bank Light is a

caisson lighthouse A caisson lighthouse (also referred to as a sparkplug lighthouse, or bug light) is a type of lighthouse whose superstructure rests on a concrete or metal caisson. Caisson lighthouses were developed in the late nineteenth century as a cheaper alte ...

in the Gulf of Mexico south of the mouth of the Sabine River. It is still active, though the original tower has been replaced with an automated beacon on a skeleton tower.

History

Sabine Bank cuts across the channel leading into the river and thence up to

Port Arthur, Texas Port Arthur is a city in Jefferson County within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Texas. A small, uninhabited portion extends into Orange County; it is east of Houston. The largest oil refinery in the United Sta ...

, an important port. Although its depth represented a hazard only to larger vessels, concern was sufficient to prompt a request in 1888 by Rep.

William H. Crain William Henry Crain (November 25, 1848 – February 10, 1896) was a U.S. Representative from Texas. Born in Galveston, Texas, Crain attended the Christian Brothers' School, New York City, until the age of fourteen, and graduated from St. F ...

for a lightship to mark the shoal. This request was dismissed by the district engineers, but at the turn of the century the matter was raised again, and $40,000 was appropriated for construction of a fixed light. A caisson light was designed, with the "sparkplug" form typical of the era. Construction began in June 1904 but was halted due to a lack of funding, leaving the caisson in place but with naught but a temporary light on the base. Construction resumed the following summer but was interrupted again by a storm in early October, during which workers took refuge in the incomplete structure. The structure was finally completed the next spring and was lit for the first time on March 15, 1906. The light was equipped with a third order Fresnel lens with a Daboll trumpet provided for a fog signal. The station sits in open water, and its isolation was a frequent cause for complaint by keepers. Staffing was difficult. A hurricane in 1915 damaged the light and forced the keepers to abandon the station after waves breaking over the structure contaminated the water supply; they were able to return several days later. The station fared better in a subsequent storm in 1920, after much of the gallery was enclosed in iron plates, but the many issues led to early automation with an acetylene beacon in 1923, though the Fresnel lens was retained until 1971 (when the beacon was converted to solar power), the lamp having been converted to electricity in 1960. The house was used as an observation post during World War II but was unmanned thereafter. It colloquially has been known by fishermen and outdoorsmen as “The Eighteen Mile Light,” referring to its distance from the old Coast Guard Lifeboat Station. The exposed location and lack of staffing caused the structure to decay rapidly, and in 2001 the Coast Guard requested bids for removal of the tower and its replacement with a skeleton tower. This was carried out the following year, but the lantern of the tower was preserved and is now on display in a park in Sabine Pass. The lens is now on display at the

Museum of the Gulf Coast The Museum of the Gulf Coast, located in Port Arthur, Texas, specializes in Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast history. A 39,000 sq. ft. facility with its most notable exhibits are a gallery of Robert Rauschenberg's artworks and a Music Hall of Fame hon ...

in Port Arthur. The skeleton tower light remains in service, standing on the old caisson foundation.

References

{{authority control Lighthouses in Texas Lighthouses completed in 1906 Buildings and structures in Orange County, Texas Buildings and structures demolished in 2002 1906 establishments in Texas Sabine River (Texas–Louisiana)