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Tybee Island Light 

(Tybee Island, Georgia)

The existing Tybee Lighthouse was the fourth tower to be built on Tybee Island, Georgia.

Located seven miles southwest of Hilton Head, South Carolina at the mouth of the Savannah River, Tybee Island, Georgia was selected as the location for the first lighthouse in the area.   James Oglethorpe, founder of the British colony of Georgia, realized that the growth of the new colony was dependent on the waterways and the access of ships to and from the sea. So in 1732 Oglethorpe ordered that a lighthouse be built on Tybee Island. Ten families were sent to Tybee Island to inhabit it during the construction time.

Tybee Island was surrounded by marshes that resulted in a large mosquito population.  This caused serious problems, not just in terms of comfort, but also with disease.   By 1736 few of the ten families remained.  When Oglethorpe returned to inspect the work he found it far from complete.  He was so angered that he threatened to imprison the head carpenter.  Work accelerated immediately and by 1736 the tower was complete.  This first tower was actually not light equipped and was used only as a day mark for guiding ships in the daytime.

Unfortunately, the tower was built too close to the water and by 1741 it was realized that a new tower was needed.

Work began in 1741 and the second tower was completed in 1742. It stood 94 feet tall and included a thirty-foot flagpole attached to the top of the tower. This tower also was only used as a day mark and did not actually contain a light.  This tower lasted until about 1769.

The third tower was completed in 1773 and consisted of a ninety-foot brick tower. This tower was designed for night time lighting.    In 1790, the New Colony of Georgia transferred ownership of the lighthouse and 5 acres of its property to the new United States government.  Fifteen whale oil lamps were installed as a light source. 

In 1822 a Front Range Beacon was built so the two lights together could help guide ships in the Savannah River channel.  Over time the Tybee lighthouse’s lighting system was improved.  In 1841, the 15 lamps with 15-inch reflectors were changed to 16 lamps with 16-inch reflectors.  In 1857, a 2nd-order Fresnel lens was installed and the lamp source was reduced to a single lamp. 

The 1773 tower became a victim to the Civil War in the 1860s, retreating Confederate troops burned the lighthouse and advancing Northern troops damaged the tower by cannon bombardment.

In 1866, $20,000 was authorized to build a new brick and cast iron lighthouse, the fourth tower on Tybee Island. The lower 60 feet of the old 1773 brick tower was used as the foundation for the new tower. A cholera outbreak during the summer of 1866 cause delays and an additional $34,443 was needed in early 1867 for the completion of the work.  By October 1867 the lighthouse tower was completed along with a new keeper’s dwelling.  The tower stood 145 feet tall from the ground to the top and stood 154 feet above sea level.  A 1st-order Fresnel lens was installed and was lit on October 1, 1867.  The light was visible to 18 miles.  At this time the Front Range Beacon was also raised to 50 feet.

The lighthouse tower suffered its share of natural abuse over the years.  There were frequent duck and geese strikes to the lantern room.  Apparently the light was in a migration path and was often damaged by ducks and geese flying into the glass.  There were also hurricanes, earthquakes, and lighting strikes.  Although damaged, the tower remained operational despite the complaints of the keepers and their request for a new tower.  Although Congress appeared deaf to the keeper’s pleas for a new tower, they did authorize funds in 1881 for the building of a new keeper’s quarters. 

Following a fire in the First Assistant’s dwelling in 1885, a new one was built on the site of the old one. At the same time other property improvements were made. Three cistern houses were put up, the kitchen and oil house were re-shingled, a screen put around the lantern room to help deal with bird strikes, and a 1,000 foot linear walk way constructed between the keeper’s dwellings and the Front Range Beacon to deal with a snake concern.

Other property improvements over the years are as follows: After the lamp fuel was changed from lard to kerosene a new fireproof fuel storage building was built in1890.  In 1910 all three residences were provided attached summer kitchens.  The original single kitchen was converted into a storage room. A three-car garage was built in 1930.

The Tybee lighthouse has had many different paint schemes over the years. Originally just white washed, the tower was repainted with  a black base and white top except for the lantern room which was black also. This change was made in 1887.  Later in 1914 the day mark was again changed by painting a 10-foot black band just below the black lantern room.  This resulted in a smaller white section in the center.   In 1916 the day mark was changed for a 4th time by extending the upper black section lower into the white area, making the white area even smaller.  The white now covered only about one-third of the tower in the central portion.  In 1968, for unknown reasons, the day make would change again.  This was a big change in that the upper portion of the tower was now gray and the lower portion white.  This lasted only until 1970 when the upper section was changed from gray to black. This was the 6th change to the day mark.  Today the tower is painted as it was in 1917.

In 1933 electricity came to the tower and the position of First Assistant Keeper was discontinued leaving only the head keeper, George B. Jackson. George Jackson remained at the lighthouse until his death in 1947 after which personal from  the U.S. Coast Guard were stationed there. In 1987 the U.S. Coast Guard vacated the Tybee Island Light Station and moved to Cockspur Island. At that time, the Tybee Island Historical Society and the City of Tybee Island entered into  a joint lese agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard to develop public access to the tower and raise funds needed for continuing restoration and upkeep.

The Tybee Island light station is unique in that is one of the countries most intact Light Stations, having all of its historic support buildings still on the five acre site. There is an entrance fee to the lighthouse property and a small gift shop in the First Assistant Keeper’s house.

Directions: Tybee Island is 18 miles east of Savannah, Georgia. Follow US 80 from Savannah to Tybee Island. When you come onto the Island, take a left at the first stoplight, which is Campbell Ave.  Follow the brown Tybee Lighthouse Signs to the lighthouse. Parking is provided on the side of the lighthouse property by the gift shop.

 

 

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All pictures are the original work of Rick Totton and are protected under copyright laws. 

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Copyright (c) 2000 Rick Totton.