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St. Simons Island, Saint Simons Island

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The St. Simons Island Light is a lighthouse on the southern tip of St. Simons Island, Georgia, United States. It guides ships into St. Simons Sound and warns of the many sandbars in the area.
The original St. Simons Island lighthouse, which was built in 1810, was a 75ft early federal octagonal lighthouse topped by a 10ft oil-burning lamp. During the American Civil War, U.S. military forces employed a Naval blockade of the coast. An invasion by Union troops in 1862 forced Confederate soldiers to abandon the area. The retreating troops destroyed the lighthouse to prevent it from being an aid to the navigation of Union warships.
The U.S. government constructed a new lighthouse to replace the original, building it to the west of the original's location. It is a 104ft brick structure completed in 1872 and was outfitted with a third-order, biconvex Fresnel lens. The lens is one of 70 such lenses that remain operational in the United States. Sixteen of those are in use on the Great Lakes, of which eight are in Michigan. The rotating lens projects four beams of light, with one strong flash every 60 seconds. A cast iron spiral stairway with 129 steps leads to the galley (or watch/service room). In 1876, the lighthouse was overhauled.
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  • I got to the light house later than I wanted. It closes at 5pm. But the grounds and the information outside was great. After dark the area is well lit and nice for a night walk. 
    I got to the light house later than I wanted. It closes at 5pm. But the grounds and the information outside was great. After dark the area is well lit and nice for a night walk.  more »
  • We stayed at the King and Prince Resort and enjoyed ocean views from our room. We loved sleeping with the windows open and hearing the roll of the surf. Had great meals at Crab Daddys and the Palmer....  more
    We stayed at the King and Prince Resort and enjoyed ocean views from our room. We loved sleeping with the windows open and hearing the roll of the surf. Had great meals at Crab Daddys and the Palmer....  more »

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