St. Simons Island Lighthouse celebrates 150 years

Certainly one of Georgia’s beloved lighthouses turns 150 years outdated this weekend.

And the non-profit group that takes care of it plans to wash it in gentle as a part of a giant sesquicentennial celebration.

The St. Simons Island Lighthouse opened in 1872 to interchange an earlier lighthouse that was destroyed throughout the Civil Struggle.

The 104-foot beacon serves ships getting into the Brunswick harbor as considered one of solely two Georgia lighthouses, together with Tybee Island’s, that stay energetic aids to navigation.

Sandy White is the schooling and volunteer director for the Coastal Georgia Historic Society, which runs the lighthouse.

She remembers the dedication of generations of lighthouse keepers who saved the tower shining for mariners on the lookout for security.

The longest serving keeper, Carl Svendsen, confirmed such dedication within the 1920’s when a tropical storm blew out a window pane on the high of the tower, threatening the flame inside its kerosene lamp.

“Svenson and his assistant held a bit of plywood up towards the damaged pane your complete night time to make it possible for the sunshine was not extinguished and that any ship that was passing by would have an support to navigation to assist them come house,” White mentioned.

The sunshine is now electrical and automatic.

However such tales from the lighthouse’s previous might be instructed over the weekend when a manufacturing and design firm will challenge an animated gentle present on the surface of the white tower.

The beacon will change into a type of cylindrical film display, with an accompanying audio soundtrack highlighting the Georgia coast’s heritage and tradition.

It’s a novel celebration for an imposing image of the Golden Isles, one which hundreds of holiday makers get pleasure from yearly as they stroll previous the oak-draped waterfront park that surrounds the lighthouse or, if they’ve the stamina, climb its 129 steps.

“Lighthouses symbolize house,” White mentioned. “It’s such an iconic image of the group.  You see it on logos from the county that we dwell in, Glynn County, to native dentist places of work and building corporations.”

The free 20-minute present might be repeated a number of instances over the Labor Day weekend, every night time Friday by way of Monday.

This story involves Reporter Newspapers / Atlanta Intown by way of a reporting partnership with GPB Information, a non-profit newsroom protecting the state of Georgia.