Sand Island Light (Alabama)

Sand Island Light, also known as Sand Island Lighthouse (and historical light station), is a decommissioned lighthouse located at the southernmost point of the state of Alabama, United States, near Dauphin Island, at the mouth of Mobile Bay, Alabama. It is located roughly 3 miles offshore from the primary Mobile Bay entrance, bounded on the east by Mobile Point and on the west by Dauphin Island. The lighthouse is 132 ft high.

History
The first lighthouse on Sand Island, constructed by Winslow Lewis in 1837, was a 55 ft structure completed in 1839. The lighting was provided by 14 lamps in 16-inch reflectors and a first-order lens, known as the Lewis lamp, which was a poorly designed version, or Argand-style lamp. Lewis enjoyed a monopoly through his relationship with Stephen Pleasonton that lasted until 1853.

In 1859 a new lighthouse was completed but was destroyed during the Civil War, on February 23, 1863, by Confederate John W. Glenn. After the Confederates at Fort Morgan observed U.S. Army soldiers in the lighthouse reconnoitering the fort, the guns of the fort fired upon the island, destroying the lighthouse. In 1864 a 48 ft wooden tower was built that lasted until 1873.

Construction
By September 1864, the current lighthouse was completed, which included a two-story Lighthouse keepers dwelling, and the land at the time was approximately 400 acres. The base is 28 ft in diameter and 6 ft thick, constructed on 171 interconnected wood pilings covered with 12 ft of concrete, and with a 125 ft focal height.

Issues
Sand Island faced continuous erosion to the point where granite blocks were being added to the island to try and stave off the deterioration and loss of the lighthouse. Restoration efforts primarily stabilized the island through 2008. Sand Island Lighthouse's dire situation is similar to its "sister light", the Morris Island Lighthouse, near Charleston, South Carolina. Both lighthouses were on eroded sandy islands, leaving the towers surrounded by water.

Recent
In December 2011, the construction of a new island was completed. 1,400,000 yards of sand was dredged from the sea floor and deposited around the lighthouse creating a 2600 ft by 500 ft, or approximately 15 acre, island. Less than a year later the $6,000,000 restoration of the island was washed away by Hurricane Isaac.

The Dauphin Island Foundation (founded in 1991) works with the Alabama Lighthouse Association and acts as an agent and administrator for the Sand Island Restoration Project. There are seven general directors, nine directors at large, and also includes as directors:
 * Mayor, Town of Dauphin Island
 * President, Dauphin Island Property Owners Association
 * President, Dauphin Island, Alabama Chamber of Commerce
 * President, Dauphin Island Water and Sewer Authority
 * President, Dauphin Island Park & Beach Board

The Sand Island Lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List, as one of the most endangered lighthouses in the country, It, and the Mobile Bay lighthouse, was damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Repairing that damage will further delay restoration efforts.

The image of this lighthouse was used as a stamp cancellation.