About this property
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, United States, near Dauphin Island, at the mouth of Mobile Bay. It is located roughly 3 mi (4.8 km) offshore from the primary Mobile Bay entrance, bounded on the east by Mobile Point and on the west by Dauphin Island. The lighthouse is 132 feet (40 m) high. The first lighthouse on Sand Island, constructed by Winslow Lewis in 1837, was a 55-foot (17 m) 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, which was a poorly designed version, or Argand-style lamp. Lewis enjoyed a monopoly through his relationship with In 1859 a new lighthouse was completed but was destroyed during the Civil War, on February 23, 1863, by Confederate John W. Glenn. After the Confederates at Fort Morgan observed U.S. Army soldiers in the lighthouse reconnoitering the fort, the guns of the fort fired upon the island, destroying the lighthouse. In 1864 a 48-foot (15 m) wooden tower was built that lasted until 1873. By September 1864, the current lighthouse was completed, which included a two-story Lighthouse keepers dwelling, and the land at the time was approximately 400 acres (160 ha). The base is 28 feet (8.5 m) in diameter and 6 feet (1.8 m) thick, constructed on 171 interconnected wood pilings covered with 12 feet (3.7 m) of concrete, and with a 125-foot (38 m) focal height. Sand Island faced continuous erosion to the point where granite blocks were being added to the island to try and stave off the deterioration and loss of the lighthouse. Restoration efforts primarily stabilized the island through 2008. Sand Island Lighthouse's dire situation is similar to its "sister light", the Morris Island Lighthouse, near Charleston, South Carolina. Both lighthouses were on eroded sandy islands, leaving the towers surrounded by water. In December 2011, the construction of a new island was completed. 1,400,000 yards (1,300,000 m) of sand was dredged from the sea floor and deposited around the lighthouse creating a 2,600-foot (790 m) by 500-foot (150 m), or approximately 15-acre (6.1 ha), island. Less than a year later the $6,000,000 restoration of the island was washed away by Hurricane Isaac. President, Dauphin Island Property Owners Association President, Dauphin Island, Alabama Chamber of Commerce President, Dauphin Island Water and Sewer Authority The Sand Island Lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List, as one of the most endangered lighthouses in the country, It, and the Mobile Bay lighthouse, was damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Repairing that damage will further delay restoration efforts.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Sand Island Light
This page lists Sand Island Light. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Sand Island Light listed on the National Register?
Sand Island Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 12, 1975.
What type of historic resource is Sand Island Light?
Sand Island Light is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Sand Island Light?
The period of significance for Sand Island Light is recorded as the colonial era.
Can I research the history near Sand Island Light?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Sand Island Light will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Baldwin County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Baldwin County.
Explore BaldwinCounty ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Sand Island Light will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.