Saint Simons Lighthouse

Year Built

1810, current structure built in 1889

Cost

$45,000 (current)

Type

Frustum of a cone*

Height

104 feet

Location

Saint Simons Island

Automated Year

1954

First Lit

1872

Lens Type

Third-order Fresnel lens

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

White tower attached to a two-story brick dwelling with red roof

Last Keeper - Date

David C. O’Hagan (1945 – 1953)

Description

The tower was opened in 1984 to climbers willing to brave the 129-step spiral staircase.

Brief History

•  In 1838, it was noted that the tower’s eight-inch reflectors were too small. This problem was corrected in 1847 when nine lamps with fourteen-inch reflectors were installed in the lantern room.
•  The keepers at the new lighthouse repeatedly complained about the unhealthy living conditions on the island, prompting the Lighthouse Board finally to drain the ponds near the lighthouse in 1875.
•  In 1934, a 1000-watt electrical light replaced the kerosene-burning lamp and was fully automated in 1953.
•  On July 1, 1939, the United States Lighthouse Service was placed under the jurisdiction of the US Coast Guard.
•  The keepers’ dwelling was vacant for several years until it was leased to Glynn County in 1972 for use as a museum and visitors center.

*Note: A frustum is the portion of a solid (normally a pyramid or a cone) that lies between two parallel planes cutting the solid.