Lighthouses have stood tall and bright over the Gulf Coast for centuries. Even in this age of global positioning systems, these solitary sentinels of the sea remain an alluring sight.
For generations of seafarers, lighthouses on the Gulf Coast warned that shoals and other hazards lurked nearby for timber ships, fishing vessels, boats carrying cargo to and from port, and others making their way across the expansive but dangerous waters of the upper Gulf of Mexico. They also served as landmarks for sailors, helping them keep their bearings when fog rolled in or a hurricane swirled through. Hurricanes, Civil War battles, and time have taken their toll on these classic structures, but their quaint, sometimes tragic histories live on because of the affection and dedication many Gulf Coast residents have for them, as well as their willingness to invest their time and money in their preservation.
The sand-duned island on which Sand Island Light was built was once much larger, covering 400 acres; steady erosion over the years has reduced it to less than one acre. A few years ago, the island was placed on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List, meaning that it is at imminent risk of being lost to the sea. However, the lighthouse’s keeper’s house and the keeper’s quarters have been stabilized by the town of Dauphin Island and efforts are underway to restore the 107-foot tower and a second order Fresnel lens.