![]() Effective June 1, 1909, the beacon light was snuffed.Īs the threat to the beacon by salvage crews and other private interests grew, the National Park Service looked into the acquisition of the light. To accommodate large freighters, the increasingly busy Savannah port routed vessels to the deep, more navigable North Channel. No longer would this light guide vessels up the shallow South Channel of the Savannah River. Man, not nature, extinguished forever the little light. A two-story cottage originally built atop the Fort Pulaski for an Ordnance Sergeant would be used by the light keeper in 1906. Jeremiah Keane, the Assistant Keeper Charles Sisson, and two Fort Pulaski caretakers took refuge inside the Northwest stair tower of the brick fort when the great hurricane of 1893 struck. The storm surge filled the lighthouse interior and destroyed the Keeper’s residence. August 27, 1881, a massive storm struck Cockspur Island causing water to rise 23′ above sea level. Throughout its life, hurricanes plagued the Cockspur Light. Soon after war’s end, April 25, 1866, the beacon was relit and painted white for use as a daymark. This strategy, coupled with the short duration of battle could explain why the tower was spared. ![]() One theory suggests to effectively hit the Fort walls approximately 1,500 yards distant, Union artillerists had to fire shots at a high angle, thus passing over the tower. Theories abound as to why the tower escaped destruction. Thirty-six guns participated in a thirty-hour siege of the fort with the Cockspur Lighthouse in direct line of fire.įollowing the surrender of Fort Pulaski on April 11, 1862, the little beacon miraculously only suffered minor damage. On April 10, 1862, Union forces in eleven batteries stretching along the beach at Tybee Island, started a long-range bombardment of Fort Pulaski. At the start of the American Civil War, the light was temporarily extinguished. The tower was rebuilt and enlarged on the same foundation the next year. Tragedy struck again in 1854 when the structure was destroyed by a hurricane. The beacon housed a fixed white light emanating from five lamps with 14-inch reflectors visible for nine miles. Norris’s duties were to “repair, alter, and put up lanterns and lights on Cockspur Island…and to erect a suitable keeper’s house.” This first tower had a focal plane 25 feet above sea level. Custom House in downtown Savannah, the Mercer-Wilder House, and the Green-Meldrim House, where General Sherman stayed during the Civil War. The noted architect designed many of Savannah’s grand structures including the U.S. In 1848, John Norris, a New York architect, was contracted to supervise construction of an illuminated station. Documented references suggest the first brick tower, used as a daymark, was built on Cockspur Island between March 1837 and November 1839. The islet, often covered by high tide, is comprised of oyster shells, and marsh grass. ![]() Situated on an islet off the southeastern tip of Cockspur Island marking the South Channel of the Savannah River, the Cockspur Lighthouse is stands twelve miles east of the port of Savannah. History of The Cockspur Island Lighthouse
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |