Visit to Tybee Island Lighthouse

Today Mary and I drove over to Tybee Island to the lighthouse, climbed the 178 steps to the top, and of course what goes up must come down, went through the Head Keeper's House, and the gift shop where I bought yet another cookbook. It is a grits cookbook and is titled "Gone With the Grits", with a drawing of Rhett Butler holding a package of grits in one hand and Scarlett draped over his other arm. I just couldn't resist a cookbook such as this, especially since I love grits. The book is written in a humorous manner and includes a short quiz, in which one of the questions is "What is the nickname for grits"...there are three answers, and include "Stucco". (This information is provided for my friend Rick, in BC.)

Back to the lighthouse tour, here are some photos I took:



Here is a picture of the lighthouse dome from just underneath:



Looking out to sea from the walkway on top of the lighthouse:



Tybee Island Light Station is one of America's most intact Light Stations, having all of its historic support buildings still on its five acre site. The Head Keeper's house straight ahead, with the 1st Asst. Keeper's House to the Left. The 2nd Asst. Keeper's House is to the right, but I couldn't get it into the picture. (Actually I think the picture is a little off balance, but it's as good as I could aim for with not being able to see the screen on the camera due to my aging eyes and the glare of the sun.) In 1933 the Lighthouse was converted from kerosene to electricity, which eliminated the need for three Keepers--from then on there was only one Keeper until his death in 1948, when the Coast Guard took over the maintenance of the Station. In 1987 the Coast Guard relocated to Cockspur Island, and my campsite is adjacent to the CG:



We then toured Fort Screven which was built near the lighthouse as a more modern system of seacoast defenses. Lastly, we walked over a boardwalk to the beach and then returned to Fort Pulaski.