Fort Pulaski - Lighthouse Overlook Trail (2-14-15)
Read MoreCockspur Island Lighthouse (ca. 1849)
Completed in 1849 to provide safe passage for ships entering and exiting the Savannah River. Its first years of service were exciting, to say the least. After surviving a fairly serious hurricane in 1854 the winds of war blew into the Savannah River in 1861. Union forces arrived at nearby Tybee Island and began constructing batteries of cannon to be used against nearby Fort Pulaski. The Cockspur Island Light sat directly amid the line of fire between the fort and its attackers. For 30 hours on April 11-12, 1861 over 5,000 shots were fired at Fort Pulaski directly over the lighthouse. Incredibly the light survived unscathed. Thankfully it has had a rather uneventful existence since then...
Cockspur Island Lighthouse (ca. 1849)
At low tide one can apparently walk out to the light itself. Our timing was a little off so we had to be satisfied with this view. On a side note a unique design of the lighthouse, unseen in this shot as its on the far side of the tower, is a triangular "prow" built into the base of the tower itself to provide a degree of protection against high seas...