The Recycled St. George Island Lighthouse

In spite of erosion first necessitating the placement of St. George Island Lighthouse onto a new concrete pad, and then Hurricane Dennis toppling the St. George Island into the Florida Coast in 2005, volunteers refused to let the light stay down. April 1, the lantern room was lifted onto the top of the rebuilt tower to mark the holes where the bolts would hold it in place. Today, April 2, the lantern was successfully fastened to the tower. After raising over $500,000 through grants and donations, the St. George Lighthouse Association completed the rebuilding in only two and a half years, using bricks salvaged from the original beacon. And in another two months, the interior is expected to be completed and St. George Island Light will be one of only seven in Florida open for climbing.

The Leaning Tower of Florida

Hurricane Opal made landfall in 1995, and the tidal surge from this storm caused enough of the remaining sand supporting the tower to wash away, leaving the beacon tipped precariously. A low tech solution to the leaning lighthouse was formulated in 1999, when a local contractor with a backhoe dug out the sand underneath the opposite side of the lighthouse, allowing it to settle down to a straightened condition. A ring of concrete ten feet deep was poured to further stabilize the light, and to which the tower was held by holes that had been drilled through the base of the walls.

Although Dennis was the final insult to the lighthouse, it actually stood for two months after the Category 3 hurricane hit the barrier islands near Apalachicola Bay. But at 11:45 a.m. on October 21, it ended what had been a long career marking the entrance of the bay.

Strangely enough, the first St. George Lighthouse was cannibalized from parts of the first lighthouse that was built at the western end of the island in 1833. Not long afterward, it was noted that the ships approaching the Bay could not see the lighthouse, and it was decided to recommission a new light at the southern edge of St. George. In 1848, the new light, built from the old, was lit.

Flattened Again

This second lighthouse didn’t even last three years. A strong storm in August of 1851 flattened the tower, along with two other nearby lighthouses, including its sister beacon, the Cape San Blas. Once again, the lighthouse was rebuilt with material salvaged from the destruction. But this time it was moved 250 feet further inland, for a total of 500 feet from the water.

In 1954 the Army Corps of Engineers cut a swath through the center of the island, so ships wouldn’t have to go around. Perhaps that sped things up a little, but barrier islands do tend to move around a bit, and Hurricane Andrew in 1992 removed even more sand from the island. By 1994 the Coast Guard took note of the fact the tower was almost engulfed by the Atlantic and decommissioned the light. The Keeper’s house and oil house were also damaged in the storm, although the keeper’s house had already been damaged by the Coast Guard using it as a source for firewood.

Repairing The Destroyed Light

The St. George Lighthouse Association jumped to the forefront again when the tower collapsed. Within six months, their members and other volunteers, using excavation equipment, has salvaged most of the pieces. They were loaded on a barge and transported to Eastpoint where a local radio station provided storage for the materials. They then spent months cleaning the bricks, one by one, and raising money. A new lantern was built, as the old was beyond repair, and the actual reconstruction began.

Volunteers also built a temporary Visitor’s Center/Museum at the site of the rebuilding, and have plans to replace the Keeper’s House when the tower is done. The center opened in January and attracts about 20 tourists a day. From a story in the Tallahassee Democrat:

“Half our visitors are here for the primary reason of seeing a lighthouse under construction,” said Elaine Rosenthal, director of the center. “There hasn’t been a brick lighthouse like this one built in 120 years.”

New Location, New Life

Because the original site was no longer viable, the Association chose to put the lighthouse fourteen miles from there, in the center of the island. Visitors to St. George Island cross on a causeway, and the first sight they now see is the newly recycled lighthouse.

Congratulations to this amazing and dedicated group of people for doing what most would call impossible. It’s a proud day for Lighthouse Lovers worldwide.

Photo Credits:

• Lighthouse on Little St. George Island by mmm29 on Webshots Photo Sharing.
• Leaning Lighthouse from Florida State Archives
• St. George Lighthouse Under Construction by Jimmy Wayne22. Some rights reserved.
• St. George Lighthouse Almost Finished by RocknRoll Guitar. Some rights reserved.

Keep up with Lighthouse News. Get articles by Email or in a Reader.