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Sand Island Light
Gulf Shores, Alabama

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General Information

Date Established: 1838
Date Present Tower Built: 1873
Date Automated: 1921
Height of Tower: 131 ft.
Height of Focal Plane: 132 ft.

Location

Distance from You:
Open to Public?: No

Photos

Full-Size

Photo Credits:* Dilip Vetrivel (#1)

*Photos on this page are the property of Patti, unless otherwise noted, and may not be downloaded or used without permission from the copyright owner.

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Description

Sand Island Light's tower is the 4th tower in its location. Just 10 years after the first tower was built, it was noticed that the once 400+ acres of sandy island beach was slowly being stripped away. It was decided that it was time to build a new tower. The first tower was destroyed and by 1858 a 200-foot tower was bult. Unfortunately, only a year later, the majestic tower became a causality of the Civil War. A temporary wooden tower was built in its place until 1873 when the final tower was built. This tower has endured much in its lifetime. In 1906, a hurricane hit that took the lives of the light's keepers, along with their dwelling and another huge chunk of shoreline. In order to preserve the light, tons of large granite rocks were placed around the tower. Today, the tower stands only amidst a small pile of rock, all of the sand now gone, and completely surrounded by water. There is an on-going struggle to preserve the lighthouse.

The light can be seen from Fort Morgan on Mobile Point, but closer views are only available by boat.

Submitted by: Patti

Date posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006

Views: 610