Cape St. George Lighthouse – A Light At The End Of The Tunnel
The Cape St. George Lighthouse was first built in 1833. It was located on Little St. George Island in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s located in the Florida Panhandle, about 8 miles from the shore of Apalachicola. The first lighthouse lasted about 13 or 14 years before it was destroyed. The presence of multiple storms removed the 65-foot light from its existence.
In 1846, rebuilding of the light was in motion at the southern tip of the island. It was completed in 1848 and the light was made 10 feet taller than the previous one. The rebuilding included materials from the first lighthouse. This one lasted only three years. This time its demise was caused by a hurricane. In addition to this one being destroyed, the hurricane also destroyed the Cape San Blas and Dog Island lighthouses.
In 1852, the third light was rebuilt again. This one was placed 500 yards inland from before. During the Civil War, the light was inactive as to divert the Yankee ships from coming that way. In 1865, the lighthouse keeper at that time, James Reilly, activated the light. Even though they tried to protect the area from Yankee ships, the light lens had been damaged, so it was replaced in 1888. The Coast Guard came on board in 1949 and placed an automatic light in the lighthouse, so by the 1950s there was no use for lighthouse keepers. Despite that, the keeper’s dwelling and oil house stayed there along with the lighthouse.
Once again, in 1992, the emergence of more storms and erosion caused the lighthouse to start deteriorating. When Hurricane Andrew came ashore that same year, most of the beach portion around the lighthouse was pulled back into the Gulf. To prevent anything further from happening, the Coast Guard turned off the light in 1994. Before the area could get back to normal, Hurricane Opal visited the area in 1995 and its strong winds forced the lighthouse from its foundation. The hurricane also ripped the iron staircase from the walls ad the tower was leaning. Also included in the damage were the oil house and the lightkeeper’s house. These residences received major damage.
That same year in 1995, a group got together and called themselves The Cape St. George Lighthouse Society. They were passionate about having the lighthouse rebuilt again. Funds were raised for the project and they also received grants from the state of Florida. By 1999, the group had raised over $200,000. Three years later, the society disbanded the group and the lighthouse had been restored once again.
This was not to be outdone by the storms and erosion that caused the lighthouse to sit 20 feet out into the water. In October 2005, the lighthouse totally gave way and disintegrated into the Gulf of Mexico. At least it had withstood over 140 years this last time. The St. George Lighthouse Association came on board to salvage the broken light pieces. The pieces were then placed in storage for rebuilding once again. They are working to get the light and the lighthouse back up again with donations from others and help from volunteers. This light and lighthouse have proven to be an important part of the island’s history and will continue to be for years to come.