Alabama Lighthouse News

Sand Island Light seriously damaged by Hurricane Ivan

This report is abridged from an email circulated by Warren Lee on October 4, 2004.

Overview
When seen from a distance the damage to the lighthouse is not apparent [but] upon closer inspection some significant damage was discovered. The most astounding find was the structural damage to the brick work on the [tower] and the reshaping and removal of protective rocks by the hurricane.

Brick Work Exterior

The entry door has lost many bricks along the western edge for a distance of about 8 ft.
A hole in the masonry wall can be seen on the northwest corner of the lighthouse. This hole is about 3x3 in size and involves the exterior wall of the lighthouse.
Much of the mortar along the northern side has been completely removed from the sandblasting the lighthouse received from sand carried off of [the] Fort Morgan area and the bricks are loose and falling out. The entire structure needs tuck point mortaring or the bricks are going to continue to fall off the lighthouse.
The foundation shows signs of crumbling that has never been there before.
Cracks have appeared in the masonry that were not there before the storm. Several of these are quite extensive.

Brick Work Interior

A detailed interior inspection [beyond looking through the entrance door way] was not made at this time. Bricks have loosened and holes are now apparent in the interior wall of the lighthouse.
The security door mountings have broken loose from the brick work due to the bricks collapsing around the door. This might pose a danger to the public if they force the door open and enter the structure in its present condition.

Boulders Strike Lighthouse

Several 1-2 ton boulders were thrown against the base of the lighthouse during the storm, damaging brick work of the lighthouse. A few remain against the lighthouse's base. These are evidence of the tremendous fury that the structure underwent. A large boulder is now below the old entrance way to the lighthouse. Two more are along the East and north east sides of the lighthouse. Several more have been displaced from around the lighthouse's base and are nowhere to be found.

Island Proper Damaged

Many of the boulders some weighing several tons were completely removed from the island and relocated in the Gulf waters some distance from the lighthouse.
The old home foundation on the North side of the lighthouse has several large chunks broken off and water now stands almost all the way to the foundation of the lighthouse. No protection remains along the northern side of the lighthouse now of any serious consequence. Without this rock island protection the next hurricane could possibly destroy the lighthouse completely.
Oyster shells are now on the topside of many of the boulders well above and beyond the high tide line, and as we all know, oysters do not grow out of the ocean.

Iron Work

New cracks have appeared in the iron work near the top and several feet of hand railing are now missing.
The interior stairs are pulled loose from the wall and need repair also.

Signs

All signs were destroyed that were at the lighthouse.

This concludes our report. We are sorry that our report could not have been more favorable.

Sincerely,
Warren Lee
Ben Murphy
Alabama Lighthouse Association

Mobile Point Light dismantled for safekeeping

This story has been updated with information from the web site of the Alabama Lighthouse Association. Thanks to Jeremy D'Entremont for forwarding the initial news of this event.

Visitors to Fort Morgan who can't find the Mobile Point lighthouse aren't missing anything: the lighthouse really has disappeared. The Alabama Historical Commission has dismantled the tower and moved it in sections for restoration.

The tower was in deteriorated condition after standing beside the walls of the historic fort for more than 20 years. Since funds to restore it were not immediately available, the Commission decided to move it inside for safekeeping.

In early 2005, the lighthouse was sent to the Robinson Iron Company in Alexander City for restoration.

Engineers check hurricane damage at Sand Island

This story is based on an article in the Mobile Register of March 25, 2006.

Engineers are on their way to determine the extent of hurricane damage at Alabama's beleagured Sand Island lighthouse. Standing in the Gulf of Mexico south of the Mobile Bay entrance, the lighthouse was damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and then battered again by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

"Pilots who work in the Gulf tell us Katrina peeled the roof back. We know there's damage. We just don't know how much, yet," said Warren Lee of the Alabama Lighthouse Association.

Thompson Engineering of Mobile has been awarded a $62,500 contract to determine the extent of the damage and what will be needed to repair it and turn the lighthouse into a tourist destination. The biggest decision is whether to restore the lighthouse where it is, bringing in sand to build up the tiny island on which it stands, or whether to relocate it to Dauphin island four miles northwest.

"My dream is to see an island there again, to find the funding and resources to put sand around it, then have a place for tour boats to tie up with walkways to receive visitors," said Jack Granade, the head of the Thompson Engineering project.

The first step will be a safety inspection, to find out if the tower and its stairway are safe enough to carry out the necessary studies. Then Thompson Engineering will bring in a team of experts, including Michael Davison, a masonry consultant from Mississippi; John Walsh, a historic ironwork specialist; and Lou Newland, Thompson Engineering's roofing consultant. Cores will be drilled to study the foundation of the tower, and a survey will determine the shape of the island and its underwater surroundings.

The 134-year-old, 131 foot lighthouse is owned by the Town of Dauphin Island, which has a partnership with the Alabama Lighthouse Association to maintain the tower. A restoration on site is expected to cost at least $2 million.

The engineering report should be completed by the end of the summer.

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