Sand Island Light, also known as Sand Island Lighthouse (and historical light station), is a decommissioned lighthouse located at the southernmost point of the state of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, near

Dauphin Island Dauphin Island is an island town in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, on a barrier island of the same name, in the Gulf of Mexico. It incorporated in 1988. The population was 1,778 at the 2020 census, up from 1,238 at the 2010 census. The t ...

, at the mouth of

Mobile Bay Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The ...

. It is located roughly 3 miles offshore from the primary Mobile Bay entrance, bounded on the east by Mobile Point and on the west by

. The lighthouse is high.

History

The first lighthouse on Sand Island, constructed by

Winslow Lewis Winslow Lewis ( Nathaniel Winslow Lewis; 11 May 1770 – 20 May 1850) was a sea captain, engineer, inventor and contractor active in the construction of many American lighthouses during the first half of the nineteenth century. Life and caree ...

in 1837, was a structure completed in 1839. The lighting was provided by 14 lamps in 16 inch reflectors and a first-order lens, known as the

Lewis lamp The Lewis lamp is a type of light fixture used in lighthouses. It was invented by Winslow Lewis who patented the design in 1810. The primary marketing point of the Lewis lamp was that it used less than half the oil of the prior oil lamps they re ...

, which was a poorly designed version, or Argand-style lamp. Lewis enjoyed a monopoly through his relationship with Stephen Pleasonton that lasted until 1853. Sandisland-light

In 1859 a new lighthouse was completed but was destroyed during the Civil War, on February 23, 1863, by Confederate John W. Glenn. The Confederate soldiers at Fort Morgan observed Union soldiers in the lighthouse spying on the fort, and the guns of the fort opened fire totally destroying the lighthouse. In 1864 a wooden tower was built that lasted until 1873.

Construction

By September 1864 the current lighthouse was completed, that included a two-story

Lighthouse keeper A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as ...

s dwelling, and the land at the time was approximately . The base is in diameter and thick, constructed on 171 interconnected wood pilings covered with of concrete, and with a focal height.

Issues

Sand Island itself faced continuous erosion, to the point where granite blocks were being added to the island to try and stave off the erosion and loss of the lighthouse. Restoration efforts resulted primarily in stabilization of the island through 2008. Sand Island Lighthouse's dire situation is similar to its "sister light", the

Morris Island Light Morris Island Light is a lighthouse on Morris Island in South Carolina. The light stands on the southern side of the entrance to Charleston Harbor, north of the City of Folly Beach. At 161 ft (49 m), it is the tallest lighthouse in South Car ...

house, near Charleston, South Carolina. Both lighthouses were situated on sandy islands that have eroded, leaving the towers surrounded by water.

Recent

In December 2011 construction of a new island was completed. of sand was dredged from the sea floor and deposited around the lighthouse creating a by , or approximately , island. Less than a year later the $6,000,000 restoration of the island was washed away by Hurricane Isaac. The Dauphin Island Foundation (founded 1991) works with the Alabama Lighthouse Association acts as agent and administrator for the Sand Island Restoration Project. There are seven general directors, nine directors at large, and also includes as directors: *Mayor, Town of Dauphin Island *President, Dauphin Island Property owners Association *President, Dauphin Island, Alabama Chamber of Commerce *President, Dauphin Island Water and Sewer Authority *President, Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board The Sand Island Lighthouse is on the

Lighthouse Digest ''Lighthouse Digest'', a specialty magazine from FogHorn Publishing in East Machias, Maine, is about maritime history with particular attention to the preservation of lighthouses and their past. Though it is geared toward enthusiasts and ant ...

Doomsday List, as one of the most endangered lighthouses in the country, It, and the Mobile Bay lighthouse, was damaged by

Hurricane Ivan Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlant ...

in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Repairing that damage will further delay restoration efforts. The image of this lighthouse was used as a stamp cancellation.Lighthouse Stamp Society, Sand Island Light cancellation.
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References

External links

* *
Anderson, Kraig, Lighthouse Friends, Sand Island Lighthouse

Gordon Vernon, 2006 photograph.Sand Island Preservation Group.Sand Island Lighthouse
Photos (1859–2004) and information on the Sand Island Lighthouse {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1838 Houses completed in 1838 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama Transportation buildings and structures in Mobile County, Alabama National Register of Historic Places in Baldwin County, Alabama