Price's Creek Lighthouse

Year Built

1848

Cost

N/A

Type

Conical

Height

26 feet

Location

Southport

Automated Year

N/A

First Lit

1849

Lens Type

8 lamps with 18-inch (460 mm) reflectors

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

1860s

Color

Red brick

Last Keeper - Date

Hanson Ruark (1866 – at least 1867)

Description

The property is owned by the nearby Archer Daniels Midland, and is not open to the public.

Brief History

•  In 1855, the lighthouse inspector noted that introducing a Fresnel lens in each tower, powered by a single lamp, resulted in the saving of 198 gallons of oil each year, which amounted to nearly enough to pay the salary of the keeper.
•  During the Civil War, Price’s Creek Light served as a Confederate signal station.
•  Robert M. Ruark, son of Keeper Hanson Ruark, was visiting the lighthouse in 1868 when the stairs gave way, and he plummeted to the bottom of the tower.
•  As late as 1917 the Keepers House, although in ruins was still standing and the cage on the lantern room at Prices Creek was still there.
•  During the 1930s, locals would sometimes climb the rusted iron ladder to Price Creek Lighthouse's rooftop for a view of the river from Southport.