Tybee Island Lighthouse, Tybee Island, Georgia

We traveled to Georgia to visit with friends Jake & Robyn Forbes. We try to visit them every time we are traveling in the east. We traveled east this time to visit our newest grandson in Florida, and from Florida we are heading into Georgia, and then home to Texas. Jake grew up in Savannah and as Tybee Island is just south of the City, he took us on a tour of Tybee Island. Our first stop was the Tybee Island Lighthouse, which I wanted to climb. Robyn and I climbed the lighthouse while Jim & Jake went across the street to the North Beach.

Ordered by General James Oglethorpe, Governor of the 13th colony, in 1732, the Tybee Island Light Station has been guiding mariners safe entrance into the Savannah River for over 285 years. The Tybee Island Light Station is one of America's most intact light station having all of its historic support buildings on its three-acre site. Rebuilt several times the current Lighthouse displays its 1916 day mark with 178 steps and a First Order Fresnel Lens.

Under the direction of Noble Jones of Wormsloe Plantation, work began on the first day-mark (a lighthouse without a light) built on Tybee. It was constructed in 1736. It was octagonal in shape and was constructed of brickwork and cedar piles. Standing ninety feet tall, it was the tallest structure of its kind in America at that time. Unfortunately, storms took their toll on Tybee’s first day-mark. Five years after its completion, a new day-mark was commissioned. While work was progressing on a new day-mark, a storm swept the old day-mark away in August 1741.

In 1742, the second day-mark built on Tybee was completed. It was described by Oglethorpe as “much the best building of that kind in America.” It was different from its predecessor, standing ninety-four feet with a flagstaff which ran from the nave to the top of the beacon. By 1748, the sea was within thirty feet of the day-mark.​ Piles were driven into the sand to support the foundations. Unfortunately, that is when the sea started to encroach, reaching the very door of the day-mark. A new day-mark was needed and time was running out.

In 1768, with the sea lapping at the foundation of the day-mark, the Georgia Assembly authorized a new day-mark/lighthouse to be built. This time a site well removed from the sea was chosen and the building was completed in early 1773. The day-mark/lighthouse was ceded to the Federal Government from the colony of Georgia in 1790. The United States Lighthouse Establishment then took over the operation of the day-mark turning it into a lighthouse and in 1791, the 100 foot tall brick and wood structure was lit with spermaceti candles for the first time.

​​In 1861, the wooden stairs and the top 40 feet of the tower were destroyed during the Civil War when Confederate troops, retreating to Fort Pulaski, set fire to the tower in order to prevent the Union troops from using it to guide their ships into port.

After the Civil War, the Lighthouse Establishment began work on rebuilding the Tybee Light. The lower sixty feet of the old lighthouse was still intact, and it was decided to add to the existing structure instead anew. The lighthouse was now to be a first order station, consisting of masonry and metal only. It was completely fireproof. This is the lighthouse that stands today.

Tybee Island Savannah River; view of the lighthouse and barracks -- destruction of the lighthouse by the confederates.

The Tybee Lighthouse holds immense historical significance for several compelling reasons, solidifying its place as a cherished landmark in Georgia and the nation. First and foremost, it is proudly recognized as the oldest lighthouse in Georgia, with its original commission dating back to 1736 by General James Oglethorpe himself, just three years after the founding of the Georgia colony. This direct link to the earliest days of colonial settlement highlights its critical role in establishing safe maritime routes for trade and development, making it one of the earliest navigational aids in what would become the United States.

Secondly, its history is a remarkable testament to resilience and adaptation, having been built, destroyed, and rebuilt multiple times. The current structure, largely completed in 1867, incorporates a significant portion of the 1773 brick tower that survived deliberate destruction during the Civil War. This layered history, visible in its very construction, tells a powerful story of conflict, perseverance, and the unyielding necessity of a guiding light. It witnessed key moments in American history, from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War, serving as a silent sentinel through periods of immense change and struggle.

Furthermore, the Tybee Lighthouse is one of the rare lighthouses in the United States that still operates with its original First Order Fresnel lens. This magnificent optical apparatus, installed in 1867, represents a pinnacle of 19th-century engineering and illumination technology. Its continued use, even after the lighthouse’s automation, makes it a living museum piece, allowing visitors to see the very mechanism that has guided ships for over a century and a half. This unique combination of being Georgia’s oldest and tallest lighthouse, having survived significant historical events, and still utilizing its original, functioning lens, makes the Tybee Lighthouse a profoundly significant and invaluable piece of American maritime heritage.

Fresnel lens

Lighthouses were designed to have different paint schemes or "day marks" on their exteriors. This made the lighthouse recognizable during the daytime when the light could not be seen. Once established, it was rare for a day mark to change. However, Tybee's lighthouse's daymark has changed seven times during the last 145 years.

Georgia's Lighthouses
Little Cumberland, St. Simons, Sapelo, Tybee & Cockspur

Life at Tybee Island Lighthouse ~~ The reclassification of the Tybee Lighthouse as a "First Order" light required significant changes to the light station. It now required three Light Keepers, so housing had to be constructed for them and their families. The light station was located on five acres of land, which afforded ample room for housing and vegetable gardens. The Keepers and their families enjoyed the mild climate of Georgia, compared to the brutal winters of New England and the Great Lakes. They also enjoyed the beauty of Tybee Island, with its marshes and beaches, compared to the often austere and remote stations along hostile New England coastlines.

Everything associated with the life of the Lighthouse Keeper carried the responsibility of hard work. Duties were divided not only among the three keepers but among their wives and children as well. The family members, therefore, shared in the happiness and hardships of the Tybee Island Light Station.

After climbing the 178 steps to the top of the lighthouse, we walked out onto the deck to view the views of the island, ocean and coast.

Robyn and Gayle

We also stopped into the Lightkeeper's house to see what the furnishings were like during that time frame.

Different seasons would have provided different crops. In the winter and early spring, plants such as potatoes, beans, corn, carrots, melons, tomatoes, and peas were planted, and in the early summer, pumpkins, squash, peppers, okra, and sweet potatoes. The fall crops produced parsnips, radishes, cabbage, collards, and spinach. Not all crops would have been successful in Tybee's sandy soil, but many of the above would have grown and provided an abundant harvest for the keepers and their families. In addition to crops grown in the garden, the keepers kept livestock to supplement their food supply.

The United States Lighthouse Service program ended in 1939, and all of the light stations in the United States were transferred to the control of the United States Coast Guard. The Tybee Island Light Station remained as the local headquarters for the Coast Guard until 1986, when the headquarters were transferred to Cockspur Island. Even though it was no longer required, many of the Coast Guard families who were stationed on Tybee continued to keep a garden.