The Sand Island Lighthouse (also known as the Sand Island Light) is located approximately three miles south from Mobile Point. Originally located on a low lying island of 400 acres, the light stands surrounded by water and massive stones placed to halt the erosion of the island. The tower, which is influenced by the Italianate style, is a 132 foot conical masonry structure which tapers from a width of 40 feet at the base to 17 or 18 feet at the top. It rests on a foundation consisting of double course of sill timbers resting on one hundred seventy-one piles overlaid with 12 feet of concrete. Constructed in 1875, Sand Island Lighthouse is the older of the two remaining lighthouses in the state and is the third to have been erected on this location. A light at Sand Island has marked the entrance to Mobile Bay & the Mobile Ship Channel since 1838. This was the second navigational aid erected for the entrance to the port of Mobile, a light having been established at Mobile Point in 1822. The Frensel lens which has been removed was constructed by Barier and Fenestri in Paris in 1871. Since the construction of the tower several different systems were used for lighting. Originally lard oil lamps were used but were replaced in 1833 by mineral oil lamps. In 1912 an incandescent oilvapor lamp of 17,000 candlepower visible 18 miles at sea was installed and later replaced in 1947 by four nine inch 1000 watt bulbs when the light was automated in 1947. In 1966, the 60,000 candle power beam was dimmed to 8,000 when the new Mobile Point Light took over. The light was finally extinguished and the structure abandoned in 1971. The lens was removed at this time and moved to the nearby Fort Morgan Museum. In 1973, the keepers house was burned. The island were the Sand Island Lighthouse was built, originally 400 acres, had been eroding since the construction and by 1873 was reduced to less than 100 acres. The erosion continued at a rapid pace until between 1873 & 1902 the keepers dwelling was twice removed to more stable ground and several thousand tons of rock were placed around the island & tower. More recently, restoration efforts resulted primarily in stabilization of the island through 2008 and in December 2011 construction of a new island was completed with 1,400,000 yards of sand being dredged from the sea floor and deposited around the lighthouse creating a 2,600 feet by 500 feet, or approximately 15 acres island. Less than a year later the $6,000,000 restoration of the island was washed away by Hurricane Isaac.
Image taken from Mobile Point within Fort Morgan State Historic Site.
Sand Island Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 11, 1975. All of the information above and more was included on the original documents submitted to the NRHP for listing consideration and can be found here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/a5d2f7ec-7543-47d7-b15…
Technical Information (or Nerdy Stuff):
Camera – Nikon D7200 (handheld)
Lens – Nikkor 18-300mm Zoom
ISO – 160
Aperture – f/7.1
Exposure – 1/1000 second
Focal Length – 300mm
The original RAW file was processed with Adobe Camera Raw and final adjustments were made with Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
Posted by J.L. Ramsaur Photography on 2022-05-26 15:41:29
Tagged: , JLR Photography , Nikon D7200 , Nikon , D7200 , photography , Gulf Shores, AL , Gulf Coast , Baldwin County , Alabama , 2022 , Engineers with cameras , Photography for God , The South , Southern Photography , Scream of the Photographer , iBeauty , J.L. Ramsaur Photography , Gulf Shores , Tennessee Photographer , Gulf Shores, Alabama , Emerald Coast , Small Town, Big Beach , Mobile Point , Sand Island Lighthouse , Sand Island Light , Italianate style , Italianate design , 1875 , Mobile Ship Channel , Fort Morgan Historic Site , Fort Morgan , Fort Morgan Peninsula , Mobile Bay , Engineering as Art , Of and By Engineers , Engineering is Art , engineering , National Register of Historic Places , NRHP , historic building , history , historic , Tennessee History , History is All Around Us , American Relics , Fading America , It’s a Retro World After All , Old and Beautiful , vanishing America , Abandoned , Abandoned Places and Things , Abandoned, Neglected, Weathered, or Rusty , lighthouse , seascape , ocean view , seashore , where the map turns blue , ocean , blue water , blue ocean water , ocean water , sea , sand , saltwater , Gulf of Mexico
Leave a Reply