The Cockspur Island Light is the smallest lighthouse in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. It ceased operation as an active beacon in 1909. It has been relit since 2007 for historical rather than navigational purposes. The lighthouse is situated on an

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...

off

Cockspur Island Cockspur Island is an island in the south channel of the Savannah River near Lazaretto Creek, northwest of Tybee Island, Georgia, United States. Most of the island is within the boundaries of Fort Pulaski National Monument. The island was so n ...

at the south channel of the Savannah River near

Lazaretto Creek Lazaretto Creek is a small tidal river in Chatham County, Georgia Chatham County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Georgia, on the state's Atlantic coast. The county seat and largest city is Savannah. One of the original counties of Georgi ...

, northwest of

Tybee Island Tybee Island is a city and a barrier island located in Chatham County, Georgia, 18 miles (29 km) east of Savannah, United States. Though the name "Tybee Island" is used for both the island and the city, geographically they are not identica ...

in Chatham County, Georgia. It is part of

Fort Pulaski National Monument Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on Cockspur Island between Savannah and Tybee Island, Georgia. It preserves Fort Pulaski; during the American Civil War, the Union Army successfully tested rifled cannon in combat in 1862 there, the suc ...

Features

The lighthouse is built on an

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not ...

and mussel bed. This lighthouse is unique in that the base is shaped like the

prow The bow () is the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is usually most forward when the vessel is underway. The aft end of the boat is the stern. Prow may be used as a synonym for bow or it may mean the forward-most part ...

of a ship to reduce the impact of the waves on the structure. The lighthouse is not currently open to the public. However, visitors to the area frequently access the water near the beacon by kayak, often taking a commercial tour. The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

cut a trail from

to the lighthouse through the brush in 2005 to allow visitors a closer vantage point. The trail begins on the northeast side of the fort and is about 0.8 mile (1.3 km) long. At low tide, hikers can get within approximately 200 yards (180 m) of the lighthouse.

History

This lighthouse was initially built as a daymarker without lights to indicate the entrance to the South Channel of the Savannah River. Construction lasted from March 1837 to November 1839. By 1848 it was retrofitted with lights and reflectors. It housed a fixed white light from five lamps with 14 inch reflectors that shone 9 miles (14 km) at a height of 25 feet (7.6 m) above sea level. It was damaged by a hurricane in 1854. The larger replacement that was built in 1855 on the same foundation was designed by

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

architect John S. Norris. The light was extinguished for a time during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

during the battle that brought the defeat of

Fort Pulaski A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. The lighthouse suffered little or no damage, even though it was in direct line of fire. It was relit in 1866. On June 1, 1909, the light was finally extinguished, because the south channel was infrequently used, compared to the deeper and wider North Channel of the Savannah River. The

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

relinquished control of this lighthouse to the

on August 14, 1958. Along with the entire National Monument, the lighthouse and the island is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. Starting in 1995 and lasting until 2000, the upper portions of the lighthouse were restored, although the foundations still require protection from wave action and tidal erosion. On March 18, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. the lighthouse was relit in a ceremony hosted by the National Park Service and the U.S. Coast Guard. In early 2013 additional rocks were added around the lighthouse to protect it from strong currents at

high tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables c ...

Photos

File:CockspurIslandLightHouse.jpg, File:Cockspurlighthouse.jpg, File:Cockspur Island Light, original cap, Fort Pulaski, GA, US.jpg, The original cap

References

* Pamphlet provided by the National Monument National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior. No publication number, no date (after 1995 and before 2000, as restoration was not complete); 2 pages (front and back).

External links

*
Fort Pulaski National Monument
nbsp;— Cockspur Island Lighthouse (NPS)
Cockspur Island Lighthouse
historical marker
Youtube video, 6 minutes, drone
{{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1839 Buildings and structures in Chatham County, Georgia Lighthouses in Georgia (U.S. state) Tourist attractions in Chatham County, Georgia 1839 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)

Features

History

Photos

See also

References

External links