A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....11-12-03....Sapelo Island, GA Lighthouse

dansangel

[dansangel]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, dansangel, dutchess, Mama_Bear, Aquamarine ~

Three weeks ago, when .45MAN and I vacationed on St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia, we had intended to visit the Sapelo Island Lighthouse. The only access to the lighthouse is by ferry and this time of year, the ferry only runs on Wednesday and Saturday. I looked up the schedule online and learned that the ferry hours are from 8:30 am until 12:30 pm.

Mistakenly, I had taken this information to mean that the ferry ran intermittently between those times. We set out on Wednesday, the only day of our stay that the ferry would run, for the 45 minute drive from our hotel on St. Simons to the Sapelo Estuary visitor's center north of Darien, GA. We arrived around 10:00 am and, much to our dismay, the ferry had already left on its *only* departure at exactly 8:30. So, we spent time looking around the exhibits at the center and talking to some locals about the area.

Sapelo Island has a rich history. Thomas Spalding acquired much of the island in 1802, establishing a plantation on the island, growing sea-island cotton, sugar cane, and rice with the help of some 400 slaves. Prior to this, the island had been home to Spanish missionaries and French and English settlers.



For the princely sum of one dollar, Spalding sold five acres at the southern end of the island for the construction of a lighthouse. When the lighthouse was completed and activated in 1820, it served as a guide for mariners transiting Doboy Sound to and from the Port of Darien. Located at the mouth of the Altamaha River, Darien was a perfect location from which to export via ship the lumber and crops produced in Georgia's interior.

Doboy Sound

The Sapelo Lighthouse received a fourth-order Fresnel lens in 1854. Confederate forces removed the lens before the Union Army occupied the island in 1862.



The lighthouse was severely damaged by the hurricane and tidal wave of October 1898. After a structural inspection, it was decided that it was necessary to build a new tower on the island. Subsequently, a 100-foot steel pyramidal tower was erected a few hundred feet north of the brick tower. In 1933, due to the decline in shipping in the area, it was determined that a light on Sapelo was no longer necessary. The steel tower was dismantled and shipped to South Fox Island, located in Lake Michigan, where it can still be seen today.

The tower as it appeared on Sapelo Island in 1905,
prior to its disassembly & relocation to South Fox Island in 1934.
(Image courtesy US Coast Guard Archives)

In 1969, the northern part of Sapelo Island was sold to the State of Georgia and became the R.J. Reynolds Wildlife Refuge. The southern portion of the island was purchased jointly by the State of Georgia and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to be set aside as the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve.



The original brick lighthouse, oil house and cistern were carefully restored in 1998. A spiral staircase was rebuilt inside the lighthouse permitting visitors to climb the tower for an elevated view of Doboy Sound. The lighthouse was painted with six bright stripes, and the lantern room, after having been dark for almost a century, exhibits a light once again.

Before and after restoration

Darien, GA is a beautiful town rich with history. .45MAN and I spent most of the morning exploring some of the sights, especially the waterfront along the Altamaha River. There were many colorful and interesting shrimp boats docked there, allowing for some wonderful photographs.

From there, we visited the King George fort and experienced firsthand the living conditions of Colonial troops 300 years ago.

It was disappointing not to be able to tour Sapelo Island and its beautiful lighthouse, but all was not lost. Instead, we were given the opportunity to discover the historical and aesthetic riches of Darien, Ga.



The Sapelo Island lighthouse is located on the southern end of Sapelo Island, nine miles east of Darien.
Latitude: 31.392
Longitude: -81.2852

Previous Lighthouse Threads on the Finest:

"Lighthouses - Tybee Island, Hunting Island and St. Simons Island"

"The Lighthouse at Old Presque Isle, MI"

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 11-10-03 Military Monday 11-11-03 A Tribute to Our Veterans Past and Present

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

Click on the photo to view the album. To
submit your photo, please contact dansangel or .45MAN at danbh59@yahoo.com
and include Freeper Photo Album in subject line.

[dansangel]

[dansangel]

Welcome Finest Friends. Come learn a little about a beautiful lighthouse located on Sapelo Island, GA and mingle with some of the Finest people on FR!

[dansangel]

God Bless Our Military

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below are names of some of our FReepers' loved ones who are serving our country. If you have someone you would like to add, please address a post to Billie; Dansangel; Dutchess; Mama_Bear; Aquamarine and we will add their name to this list. As we pray for them, we pray also for all our nation’s leaders, and military personnel, and their families and friends. May God hold them close to His heart.

~~~~~~~~~~   ~~~~~~~~~~

We ask Lord, that You guide the leaders of our great country in their hour of decision. The burden that has been placed on their shoulders is overwhelming. We ask that with Your infinite wisdom You guide them gently to the right decisions.

Please give us the strength, Lord, to get through each difficult and devastating day that faces each of us and our country. Protect and guide our Military that are now being called to duty, strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OhioWfan........................son mystery-ak..........son, husband Gogrammy................grandson Inspectorette...................son Blessed American..........nephew Slip18..........................nephew anniegetyourgun...........nephew Pippin....niece,nephew,loved one Doug from Upland......son-in-law weldgophardline.....brotherinlaw Future Snake Eater..........cousin WaterDragon..son-in-law,grandson BeforeISleep...................son The Mayor........................niece LadyX.........................grandson fawn796.....................nephew ValerieUSA................2 sons Warrior Nurse...........active duty SK1 Thurman...........active duty David Osborne.........active duty fc2tomschermuly......active duty bkwells..................activve duty LongCut..................active duty Trish.......................active duty StarCMC......................brother TexKat...................son and stepson Atomic Conspiracy....half-brother, niece, and nephew

Maigrey................cousin ladtx....................2 sons Mama_Bear...........2 nephews gator girl............husband severa................husband MozartLover......son, nephew LBGA........................son SpookBrat...........nephew Himyar.....................son boxerblues............2 sons the piper...................son sheeza...............husband kemathen7...........husband Diver Dave................niece deadhead................cousin JimRobinson.....2 nephews Armymarinemom.....3 sons Consort..2 daughters,son-in-law Darheel..................niece dixie sass.............nephew BeAllYouCanBe.........son AgThorn...............2 sons homeschoolmama.......nephew kneezles.................son kimmie7...............brother Tiffee4Bob.............boyfriend Explorer89............brother ODC-GIRL............active duty

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Angel.

[dansangel]

Good Morning, ((((Aeronaut)))))

Long time, no see. Hope you had a wonderful Veteran's Day!

[JohnHuang2]

G'morning to you, my friend :-)

[JohnHuang2]

G'morning, bud

[dansangel]

((((((JH2)))))) - The FReeper who never sleeps - LOL!

Hoping this beautiful morning finds you doing well. Looking forward to this weeks's hard-hitting essay!

[.45MAN]

Good morning all. happy hump day..

These lighthouses all have a distinct history some more than others but all extremely interesting. This was not an easy life for the people that manned these stations along with their families.

[dansangel]

(((((((.45MAN)))))))

[Aeronaut]

Good morning John.

[JohnHuang2]

The FReeper who never sleeps - LOL!

Oh, I wouldn't say that -- I took a nap last night that went on for hours ... ;-)

[JohnHuang2]

Hoping this beautiful morning finds you doing well.

Backatya! :-)

[dansangel]

I took a nap last night that went on for hours ... ;-)

Your secret revealed! That ought to satisfy "inquisitional Minds" - LOL!

Sigh....now it's off to get ready for work for me. Have a happy humpday!

[JohnHuang2]

You've got mail! lol

[dansangel]

FReepmail back at ya!

[JohnHuang2]

Received and read -- thanks! Have a great day, my friend

[ppaul]

Good Morning

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', everybody ! Happy Wednesday !

Have a cup while you Freep !

[dansangel]

((((((((ppaul)))))))))

So nice to *see* you - thank you for the great Good Morning!