Sapelo Island Light facts for kids
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| Sapelo Island Light | |
 Sapelo Island Light
Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Sapelo Island Light
Location in the United States
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| Location | Darien, Georgia |
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| Coordinates | 31°23′29″N 81°17′08″W / 31.39127°N 81.28568°W |
| Year first constructed | 1820 |
| Year first lit | 1820 |
| Deactivated | 1905 to 1998 |
| Construction | Brick |
| Tower shape | Conical |
| Markings / pattern | 6 alternate red and white horizontal |
| Height | 80 ft (24 m) |
| Original lens | Lewis lamp (1820) Fourth-order Fresnel lens (1854) |
| Characteristic | Fixed white varied by a white flash every 45 s |
The Sapelo Island Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located in Georgia, United States. You can find it near the southern tip of Sapelo Island. This lighthouse is special because it's the second-oldest brick lighthouse in the country. It's also the oldest lighthouse still standing that was designed by Winslow Lewis.
This important landmark includes the lighthouse itself, an oil building, a water cistern, and the remains of an older light from 1905. It also has ruins of a fort and a related range light. All these parts were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
The lighthouse is a brick building that stands 65-foot (20 m) tall. It's about 30 feet (9.1 m) wide at its base and gets narrower towards the top, measuring 12 feet (3.7 m) across. The brick walls are very thick at the bottom, becoming thinner as they go up.
Lighthouse History
The Sapelo Island Lighthouse was first built in 1820. It was designed by Winslow Lewis, who also oversaw its construction. When it was first lit, it used fifteen special lamps called Lewis lamps. These lamps had 16 in (41 cm) reflectors to help send out the light.
In the 1850s, the lighthouse tower was made taller by 10 ft (3.0 m). A new, more advanced light, called a fourth-order Fresnel lens, was put in place in 1854. However, this lens was taken out during the American Civil War.
After the war, a big storm in 1867 caused a lot of damage to the lighthouse. It was repaired and lit up again in 1868. Another strong hurricane in 1898 also damaged the tower.
In 1905, a new, different kind of lighthouse was built nearby. This was a 100 ft (30 m) tall skeletal tower lighthouse. It used a third-order Fresnel lens, which was also very powerful. This newer tower was later taken apart in 1934. Its parts were moved to South Fox Island in Michigan.
The original 1820 lighthouse was not used from 1905 until 1998. In 1998, it was fixed up to look like it did in 1890. A modern light and lens were installed, and it was lit once more. Today, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources takes care of the lighthouse. It is now considered an unofficial light.
Lighthouse Keepers
For many years, people called "keepers" lived at the lighthouse and made sure its light stayed on. This was a very important job to guide ships safely. Here are some of the people who served as keepers at Sapelo Island Lighthouse:
- Jeremiah Lester (1821 – 1825)
- William Donnelly (1827 – 1841)
- Henry M. Caulder (1843 - ?)
- William Thomas (1845 – 1847)
- Robert B. Mason (1849 – 1851)
- Robert Hale (? – 1853)
- Alexander Hazzard (1853 – 1862, 1868 – 1869)
- W.W. Brown (1869)
- James C. Clark (1869 – 1870)
- Montgomery P. Styles (1870 – 1871)
- J.T. Clancy (1871)
- Hiram Hammett (1871 – 1872)
- John Bradwell (1872 – 1873)
- James Cromley, Sr. (1873 – 1889)
- William G. Cromley (1890 – 1900)
- James Cromley, Jr. (1900 – 1921)
- Robert H. Cromley (1928 – 1933)
