Cape St. George Light
Encyclopedia
The Cape St. George Light is a 74-foot (23 m) high brick lighthouse
which had originally stood for 153 years on St. George Island, Florida
, until toppling into the Gulf of Mexico
October 22, 2005. The pieces of the lighthouse were retrieved, and in April 2008, the light's restoration was completed.
at West Pass between St. George Island and St. Vincent Island. At the time, Apalachicola
was an important cotton
port. The tower was 65 feet (20 m) tall, and held 13 lamps with 15-inch reflectors (although the captain of a revenue cutter
reported in 1834 that the tower was 75 feet (23 m) tall and had 11 lamps).
Due to the sharp convex bend of St. George Island's southern coast at Cape St. George, southeast of the light, ships approaching from the eastern Gulf could not easily see it. In 1847 Congress appropriated $8,000 for a new lighthouse on the cape, two miles (3 km) southeast of the original site. Materials from the old tower were used in the construction of the new tower in 1847-48. It was built on a foundation of bricks just 18 inches (0.5 m) deep. A hurricane in the fall of 1850 undermined it, and the fourth hurricane of the 1851 Atlantic hurricane season
toppled the tower in August of that year. The nearby lighthouses at Cape San Blas and Dog Island
were destroyed by the same hurricane, and Apalachicola was heavily damaged.
The Cape St. George lighthouse was rebuilt in 1851-52, 250 yards (230 m) inland from its previous site; construction was hastened by the salvage and re-use of two thirds of the bricks of the ruined tower. This third lighthouse on St. George Island was erected on a foundation of pine pilings driven deep into the sand, with walls of hydraulic cement
4 feet (1.2 m) thick at the bottom and tapering to two feet (0.6 m) at the top. It was lit with a third-order Fresnel lens
that was visible (given its elevation above sea level) to a shipboard observer up to 15 nautical miles (28 km) out to sea.
As with other lights that came under Confederate control during the Civil War
, the lens and other components of the Cape St. George Light were protectively removed, first to Apalachicola, then further inland. Union naval forces captured Apalachicola in April 1862, but the light remained dark. The lens was found at the end of the war and reinstalled. The lens had been damaged, resulting in a "dark angle", and was replaced in 1899. A tropical storm damaged the tower and the other buildings in 1878.
The power source was converted to mineral oil
in 1882, and to incandescent oil vapor in 1913. The light was automated in 1949. In 1994 the Coast Guard
removed the light from the lantern room and decommissioned the lighthouse.
In 1995 Hurricane Opal
washed away much of the sand around the tower, shifted it partially off its pilings and rotated it, leaving it leaning about 10° from vertical. In 1998 the tower was further damaged by Hurricane Georges
. Supporters raised $50,000 locally and $160,000 from the state to correct the tilt. The tower was righted and a new foundation built under it in 2002. However, the base was still exposed to surf, and the new foundation began deteriorating. The tower collapsed on October 22, 2005.
bricks were used in the interior lining
of the conical tower. In April 2008, the restored lantern room was placed on top. The completed reconstruction was opened to the public on November 29.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
which had originally stood for 153 years on St. George Island, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, until toppling into the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
October 22, 2005. The pieces of the lighthouse were retrieved, and in April 2008, the light's restoration was completed.
History
The first lighthouse on St. George Island was erected in 1833 near the island's western tip. It marked the narrow entrance to Apalachicola BayApalachicola Bay
Apalachicola Bay is an estuary and lagoon located on Florida's northwest coast renowned for its oysters. The Apalachicola Bay system also includes St. Georges Sound, St. Vincent Sound and East Bay, covering an area of about . Four islands St. Vincent Island to the west, Cape St. George Island and St...
at West Pass between St. George Island and St. Vincent Island. At the time, Apalachicola
Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola is a city in Franklin County, Florida, on US 98 about southwest of Tallahassee. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census. The 2005 census estimated the city's population at 2,340...
was an important cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
port. The tower was 65 feet (20 m) tall, and held 13 lamps with 15-inch reflectors (although the captain of a revenue cutter
United States Revenue Cutter Service
The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1790 as an armed maritime law enforcement service. Throughout its entire existence the Revenue Cutter Service operated under the authority of the United States Department of the Treasury...
reported in 1834 that the tower was 75 feet (23 m) tall and had 11 lamps).
Due to the sharp convex bend of St. George Island's southern coast at Cape St. George, southeast of the light, ships approaching from the eastern Gulf could not easily see it. In 1847 Congress appropriated $8,000 for a new lighthouse on the cape, two miles (3 km) southeast of the original site. Materials from the old tower were used in the construction of the new tower in 1847-48. It was built on a foundation of bricks just 18 inches (0.5 m) deep. A hurricane in the fall of 1850 undermined it, and the fourth hurricane of the 1851 Atlantic hurricane season
1851 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1851 Atlantic hurricane season was the first Atlantic hurricane season in the official Atlantic tropical cyclone record. Six known tropical cyclones occurred during the season, the earliest of which formed on June 25 and the latest of which dissipated on October 19. These dates fall within the...
toppled the tower in August of that year. The nearby lighthouses at Cape San Blas and Dog Island
Dog Island Light
The Dog Island Light was located on the western tip of Dog Island south of Carrabelle, Florida. It marked the "middle entrance to St. George's Sound," between St. George and Dog Islands, during the nineteenth century, until its collapse by a hurricane in 1873....
were destroyed by the same hurricane, and Apalachicola was heavily damaged.
The Cape St. George lighthouse was rebuilt in 1851-52, 250 yards (230 m) inland from its previous site; construction was hastened by the salvage and re-use of two thirds of the bricks of the ruined tower. This third lighthouse on St. George Island was erected on a foundation of pine pilings driven deep into the sand, with walls of hydraulic cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
4 feet (1.2 m) thick at the bottom and tapering to two feet (0.6 m) at the top. It was lit with a third-order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
that was visible (given its elevation above sea level) to a shipboard observer up to 15 nautical miles (28 km) out to sea.
As with other lights that came under Confederate control during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the lens and other components of the Cape St. George Light were protectively removed, first to Apalachicola, then further inland. Union naval forces captured Apalachicola in April 1862, but the light remained dark. The lens was found at the end of the war and reinstalled. The lens had been damaged, resulting in a "dark angle", and was replaced in 1899. A tropical storm damaged the tower and the other buildings in 1878.
The power source was converted to mineral oil
Mineral oil
A mineral oil is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of alkanes in the C15 to C40 range from a non-vegetable source, particularly a distillate of petroleum....
in 1882, and to incandescent oil vapor in 1913. The light was automated in 1949. In 1994 the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
removed the light from the lantern room and decommissioned the lighthouse.
In 1995 Hurricane Opal
Hurricane Opal
Hurricane Opal was a Category 4 hurricane that formed in the Gulf of Mexico in September 1995.Opal was the ninth hurricane and the strongest of the abnormally active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season...
washed away much of the sand around the tower, shifted it partially off its pilings and rotated it, leaving it leaning about 10° from vertical. In 1998 the tower was further damaged by Hurricane Georges
Hurricane Georges
Hurricane Georges was a very destructive, powerful and long-lived Cape Verde-type Category 4 hurricane. Georges was the seventh tropical storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season...
. Supporters raised $50,000 locally and $160,000 from the state to correct the tilt. The tower was righted and a new foundation built under it in 2002. However, the base was still exposed to surf, and the new foundation began deteriorating. The tower collapsed on October 22, 2005.
Reconstruction
Island volunteers formed the St. George Light Association to reconstruct the lighthouse on a more protected site. A salvage company retrieved 24,000 of the structure's 160,000 bricks from the water, and volunteers cleaned them. The Association won grants of $525,000 from federal and state sources, and rebuilt the lighthouse in a county park in the middle of St. George Island. Local contractors provided construction services at reduced rates. The salvagedbricks were used in the interior lining
of the conical tower. In April 2008, the restored lantern room was placed on top. The completed reconstruction was opened to the public on November 29.