John Glenn swore that he'd return and "tumble the Light House down in their teeth." February 23, 1863, a month after his first attack, he did just that, placing 70 pounds of gun powder under the tower and blew it up. He reported to Daniel Leadbetter, a brigagadier general in the Confederate Army of his success. Leadbetter had been the builder of the lighthouse. You have to wonder how he felt about the deed?
Union forces then erected a temporary 48-foot tall tower that served until the end of the war.
The new brick tower was built and activated Sept. 1, 1873. Constuction involved 171 pilings overlaid with 12 feet of cement. This new 132 foot tall lighthouse was built 670 feet from the previous one.
Yet, there was erosion back then and by 1880, the previous one's foundation was under water.
We'll Leave the Light On...Maybe. --Cooter
Showing posts with label Sand Island Lighthouse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sand Island Lighthouse. Show all posts
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Sand Island Lighthouse to Get It's Island Back-- Part 2
A 1962 picture in Wikipedia shows the home still standing, but a greatlt reduced island.
The latest of four lighthouses is on the Ligthouse Doomsday List. It has been seriously damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Katrina in 2005 and the 132-foot high structure is located 3 miles offshore.
An earlier lighthouse on the island was destroyed during the Civil War.
From Lighthouse Friends.
The very first lighthouse on Sand Island was built in 1830. It proved inadequate and in 1839, another 55-foot one was built by Winslow Lewis for $10,000. Then, in 1858, a new first-class tower was built with a 1st Order Fresnel Lens and operated for two years when the Civil War broke out.
Confederates removed the 9-foot lens and placed it in storage before Union forces took the island. They reinstalled a 4th Order Lens and also used the tower to spy on Confederate activity by the harbor entrance. A force under John W. Glenn rowed from Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island to Sand Island and burned several buildings near the lighthouse before being chased off by the USS Pembina.
More to Come. --DaCoot
The latest of four lighthouses is on the Ligthouse Doomsday List. It has been seriously damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Katrina in 2005 and the 132-foot high structure is located 3 miles offshore.
An earlier lighthouse on the island was destroyed during the Civil War.
From Lighthouse Friends.
The very first lighthouse on Sand Island was built in 1830. It proved inadequate and in 1839, another 55-foot one was built by Winslow Lewis for $10,000. Then, in 1858, a new first-class tower was built with a 1st Order Fresnel Lens and operated for two years when the Civil War broke out.
Confederates removed the 9-foot lens and placed it in storage before Union forces took the island. They reinstalled a 4th Order Lens and also used the tower to spy on Confederate activity by the harbor entrance. A force under John W. Glenn rowed from Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island to Sand Island and burned several buildings near the lighthouse before being chased off by the USS Pembina.
More to Come. --DaCoot
Sand Island Lighthouse to Get Its Island Back-- Part 1
From the Dec. 10, 2010, Mobile (Al) Press-Register by Ben Raines.
The island disappeared decades ago due to erosion caused by the dredging of the Mobile Ship Channel. But now, using $6 million in federal funds, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be dumping millions of tons of sand around the lighthouse beginning in March.
Right now, the lighthouse stands alone, atop a pile of rocks.
In the 1800s, Ship Island consisted of 400+ acres. Besides the ligthouse, there was the keeper's two-story cottage and livestock found plenty of forage. Since then, Sand Island and Dauphin Island have suffered great erosion as the ship channel disrupts the natural flow of sand in the area.
Replenishing the sand is a major step toward saving the lighthouse.
Saving a Lighthouse's Island, One Load at a Time. --Cooter
The island disappeared decades ago due to erosion caused by the dredging of the Mobile Ship Channel. But now, using $6 million in federal funds, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be dumping millions of tons of sand around the lighthouse beginning in March.
Right now, the lighthouse stands alone, atop a pile of rocks.
In the 1800s, Ship Island consisted of 400+ acres. Besides the ligthouse, there was the keeper's two-story cottage and livestock found plenty of forage. Since then, Sand Island and Dauphin Island have suffered great erosion as the ship channel disrupts the natural flow of sand in the area.
Replenishing the sand is a major step toward saving the lighthouse.
Saving a Lighthouse's Island, One Load at a Time. --Cooter
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sand Island Lighthouse-- Alabama
The Sand Island Lighthouse which has withstood over a century of storms, including Hurricane Katrina, is in a precarious situation these days with its island being washed away by the Gulf of Mexico. For all these years, it has guided vessels into Mobile Bay.
The original lighthouse was blown up by Confederates in 1861 to prevent its falling into Union hands, and rebuilt in 1883 on a man-made pile of granite rocks.
Withstanding Katrina was no easy feat, considering that the small Chandeleur Island Lighthouse simply disappeared and the 1890 New Canal Lighthouse on Lake Pontchartrain was demolished.
Lets Hope Funds Can be Found to Save It. --Cooter
The original lighthouse was blown up by Confederates in 1861 to prevent its falling into Union hands, and rebuilt in 1883 on a man-made pile of granite rocks.
Withstanding Katrina was no easy feat, considering that the small Chandeleur Island Lighthouse simply disappeared and the 1890 New Canal Lighthouse on Lake Pontchartrain was demolished.
Lets Hope Funds Can be Found to Save It. --Cooter
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