| The Turks and Caicos Islands are located at the southeastern
end of the Bahamas. At one time they were governed as part of the Bahamas,
but in 1874 they were placed under the Governor of Jamaica. When Jamaica
became independent in 1962, The Turks and Caicos became a separate British
dependency with its capital at Grand Turk. The population is somewhat
less than 20,000. There is only one lighthouse, but it is a very historic
lighthouse, one of the oldest cast iron lights in the Western Hemisphere.
- Lighthouse
- * Grand
Turk
- 1852 (Alexander Gordon). Reactivated (1998); focal plane 33 m (108
ft); white flash every 7.5 s. 18 m (60 ft) cast iron tower, painted
white, attached to kerosene storage house. A 4º Fresnel
lens (1943) from the lighthouse is on display at the Turks
and Caicos National Museum. The keeper's house and kitchen also
survive. Lindsay Blackburn's photo is at right, Amy Spencer's wider
view is blow, Reef
News also
has a good page
with closeup photos, Marinas.com has excellent
aerial photos,
Google has an indistinct satellite
view, and Lighthouse
Digest
has an article
on earlier unsuccessful efforts to restore the lighthouse to kerosene
power. The lighthouse was prefabricated in London by Chance Brothers;
it is a very rare example of this early design in cast iron. After
many years of neglect, the lighthouse was partially restored in 1998.
In 2006, Carnival Corp., the cruise line holding company, granted
funds to repaint and refurbish the lighthouse, keeper's cottage, and
other light station buildings. This was part of much larger investment
to develop Grand Turk as a regular stop for cruise ships. The results
of the restoration are seen in Blackburn's photo.
Located at the northern tip of Grand Turk Island; accessible by road.
Cruise ships calling at the island offer tours that include the light
station. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Turks and Caicos National
Trust. ARLHS TCI-001; Admiralty J4812; NGA 12408.

Grand Turk Light, April 2005
photo copyright Amy Spencer; used by permission
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Grand Turk Light, September 2006
Creative Commons photo by Lindsay Blackburn
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