Lighthouse History - Tybee Island

I must say that I have been fortunate to see many lighthouses along the Atlantic Ocean, and if I had to choose, my favorite lighthouse would probably be Tybee Island Lighthouse.

Tybee Light is located on Tybee Island, which is close to 17 miles or so east of Savannah, Georgia. The Tybee Light serves as a key navigational marker for the Atlantic Ocean and the Savannah River. However, the light currently standing is not the original light that was built back in 1736.

The first tower was built in 1736, but it collapsed five years later during a hurricane. A second tower was put in place the next year (1742), however this tower did not succeed at surviving either due to erosion by the close proximity to the sea. A third tower was built in 1773, and it was built a bit further back from the shoreline. During the Civil War, the third tower suffered severe damage due to a fire that was intentionally set by the Confederates. They set Tybee on fire so that the Yankee soldiers couldn't use the lighthouse to serve as a beacon to guide their troops into Savannah (smart thinking, guys!!)

Therefore, after the Civil War, the Tybee Light had to be rebuilt. Luckily the lower portion of the tower was still intact and was able to be salvaged. The lighthouse that stands today is a combination of the third tower and the fourth extended tower, rebuilt in 1867.


One thing that is very interesting about the Tybee Lighthouse is its "day marks". The purpose of the "day marks" is very basic -- visibility. The color of the lighthouses helps the ships to see them off in the distance. At night, they see the beacon of light flashing, but in the daylight, often that beacon is hard to see, so they rely upon the color of the lighthouse. Tybee has had several different daymarks, the current daymark pattern was first introduced in 1916 but changed to another color in both 1965 and 1970 before returning to the 1916 pattern in 1999.

Tybee Island Lighthouse is such a historic lighthouse. Its location sits so pristinely between the Savannah River and the Atlantic Ocean, and is a place that everyone would love to visit.

I've been fortunate enough to visit it on several occasions. The first time I went to Tybee Island with my friend Heather, we actually climbed to the top of Tybee. It was the very first lighthouse that I had ever climbed & it actually has a very easy climb (compared to some others!). I went again last February and saw it both at night and during the day with Phyllis & it was such a unique experience to see it at night.

If you're down in Savannah, take that short drive over to Tybee Island. Go visit the Tybee Light, then drive down to the boardwalk and shop at some of the stores and take a stroll on the beach. If you've seen the movie "The Last Song", you will notice many of the scenes in that movie were actually shot at Tybee Beach and on Tybee Island. It's definitely a place to visit and relax!!