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alfe (Sulf Coast Simea 1 9'
By George of St. George Island
’ve Seen the Lie
he metamorphosis of light-
houses is lost in inaccuracies of history and legend. Since the first daring voyagers ventured onto the sea in their flimsy crude boats they have been fearful of how they would find their way back to their point of origin. As they grew bolder and ventured further offshore familiar landmarks became obscured by haze, darkness and other conditions. At some point in ancient times, perhaps by accident, it was noticed that smoke and flames from shore-based fires were visible “far” offshore. At first simple hilltop beacon fires were
used to guide the voyagers back home or into unfamiliar ports.
The first lighthouse mentioned in detailed historical records dates back to 300 BC. History of this period is naturally vague; however, documented evidence suggests the Egyptians began building a tower on the Island of Pharos around this time. Another source from this period cites additional details of the project. It is recorded the height of the tower
ancient Egyptians averaged five feet six inches tall, this would make the tower approximately five hundred and fifty feet tall. A stone tower of the height would be no small accomplishment even by today’s standards.
The tow er is described as having windows at the top. This suggests fires or torches were lit in these windows. History further relates the tower took twenty years to build and w as dedicated to the safety of seafarers.
Records suggested that The Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, may have been used as a lighthouse. Another structure, the great lighthouse at Alexandra was in operation for 1000 years and stood for another 500 years before destruction by an earthquake. Records say the Romans built a light tower at Ostia about fifty years before the birth of Christ.
Perhaps the longest standing lighthouse, in modern times, wras one ordered built at Boulogne, France, in 40 AD, by Caligula. About 800 years later it was still
standing and Charlemagne ordered it restored to service. It survived until mid 1964, when it collapsed. The cause of the failure was not the fault of the lighthouse builders, but that of the townspeople who throughout the ages had bit by bit weakened it by stealing foundation stones for use in other construction.
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Lighthouse construction faltered during the Dark Ages but by 1100 AD European trading wras flourishing. Lighthouse construction increased in direct proportion to the trading.
The first recorded lighthouse in the Americas was built at Vera Cruz, Mexico in the late 16th century. The first North American lighthouse on record was the Boston Light built on Little Brewster Island in 1716.
The first great lighthouse of the Old South is located on Tvbee Island at the mouth of the Savannah River. This structure was a wooden tower ninety feet high and was primarily a day marker. It was destroyed by a storm in 1741 and replaced the next year by a tower displaying a permanent light. It is disputed whether the Tybee light was the second or third lighthouse built in the United States. Originally 100 feet high, it wras reworked and its height increased to 150 feet.