List of lighthouses in Georgia (U.S. state)
This is a list of all lighthouses in the U.S. state of Georgia as identified by the United States Coast Guard. There are three active lights in the state including one maintained as a private aid; four are standing but inactive, and one has been replaced by an automated skeleton tower, and one destroyed by a ship collision. One tower, the second Sapelo Island Light, was moved to Michigan; the first tower on the site is still standing and was relit in 1998.
The earliest lighthouse in the state was erected in 1736; the oldest surviving tower is the Sapelo Island Light, though the present Tybee Island Light, erected in 1867, incorporates the base of its 1773 predecessor.[1] The last lighthouse in the state, the Savannah Light, was constructed in 1964.[1]
The lighthouses on Cumberland Island, Sapelo Island, and St. Simons Island are on the National Register of Historic Places. The Old Harbor Light in Savannah is a contributing property to a National Historic Landmark district.
If not otherwise noted, focal height and coordinates are taken from the United States Coast Guard Light List,[2] while location and dates of activation, automation, and deactivation are taken from the United States Coast Guard Historical information site for lighthouses.[3]
| Name | Image | Location | Coordinates | Year first lit | Automated | Year deactivated | Current Lens | Focal Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cockspur Island Light |  |
Savannah | 32.0227°N 80.8800°W | 1849[4] (First) 1857[4] (Current) |
Never | Active[4] (Inactive: 1909-2007) |
Unknown | 25 ft (7.6 m)[4] (Original tower) |
| Little Cumberland Island Light |  |
Cumberland Island | 30.97620°N 81.41311°W | 1838 | Never | 1915 | None | Unknown |
| Sapelo Island LightA |  |
Sapelo Island | 31.39126°N 81.28568°W | 1820B | 1998 (Relit) |
Active (Inactive: 1905-1998) |
UnknownC | Unknown |
| Sapelo Island Range Front Light |
%252C_GA%252C_US.jpg.webp) |
Sapelo Island | 31.38991°N 81.28414°W | 1856 (First) 1877 (Current) |
Never | 1898 | None | Unknown |
| Old Harbor Light (aka: Savannah Harbor Light) |
 |
Savannah | 32.07931°N 81.08425°W | 1858 | Always | ActiveD | Unknown | 77 ft (23 m) |
| Savannah Light | .jpg.webp) |
Savannah River | 31.1341°N 80.683°W[5] | 1964 | Always | 1996 (Destroyed) |
None | 85 ft (26 m) |
| St. Simons Island Light |  |
St. Simons Island | 31.13411°N 81.39358°W | 1810 (First) 1872 (Current) |
1954 | Active | Third-order Fresnel lens | 104 ft (32 m) |
| Tybee Island Light |  |
Tybee Island | 32.02223°N 80.84566°W | 1773 (First) 1867 (Current) |
1972 | Active | First-order Fresnel | 144 ft (44 m) |
| Tybee Island Range Front Light | .jpg.webp) |
Cockspur Island | 32.0333°N 80.8985°W | 1878 | Unknown | UnknownE | None | Unknown |
Notes
- A.^ Sapelo Island Light also served as a rear range light from 1856 to 1898.
- B.^ The second Sapelo Island Light was a steel tower built in 1905, it was later re-erected at South Fox Island Light (Michigan) in 1933. The original brick 1820 tower was reactivated in 1998 and still stands today.
- C.^ Sapelo Island Light originally had a Fourth-order Fresnel lens but it has since been replaced by an unknown modern optic.
- D.^ There isn't any evidence that this is still used for navigational purposes. The light remains lit as a decorate piece.
- E.^ Replaced with a skeleton tower at an unknown date.[1]
References
- "Lighthouses of the United States: Georgia". Russ Rowlett.
- Light List, Volume III, Atlantic Coast, Little River, South Carolina to Econfina River, Florida (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2012.
- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Georgia". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
- "Cockspur Island Lighthouse". Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
- Tybee Island to Doboy Sound (Map). 1:80,000. NOAA. 1980. Chart 11509.