08/07/2026
ODT spent the morning at the Tybee Island Light Station. First built in 1736 reached 90 ft into the sky. Storms of 1741 took it down, then fires destroyed the wooden tower. Damaged, repaired, and rebuilt into brick over the years. The lighthouse currently stands at 145 feet with 178 stairs to the lookout. It overlooks the Atlantic and the Military Battery of 1899, it served to guide costal convoys during WWII. The lighthouse was not lit until 1791 when it was lit by candles made of whale oil. Tge 1800s brought kerosene and lard, eventually in 1933 electricity. Next the First order Fresnel Lens still sitting in the the tower standing at 8 1/2 feet tall. Even on the darkest nights the light can be seen 16 to 18 miles away.
