Fort Point Light (Texas)

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Wikipedia

Fort Point Light
LocationEntrance to Galveston Bay, Texas
Coordinates29°20′13″N 94°46′12″W / 29.337°N 94.770°W / 29.337; -94.770 (approx.)
Tower
Constructed1881
Foundationscrew-pile
Constructioncast-iron/wood
Height47 feet (14 m)
ShapeHexagonal house on piles
Light
First lit1882
Deactivated1909
LensFourth order Fresnel lens
CharacteristicFixed white with several red and dark sectors

Fort Point Light was a lighthouse located on the south side of the entrance to Galveston Bay in Texas. It served as an important navigational aid for vessels entering the bay during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

History

The site for Fort Point Light was reserved as early as 1836 by the Republic of Texas, but construction did not begin until Congress appropriated funds in 1878. The lighthouse was completed in 1881 and first lit in 1882. Built on a screw-pile foundation, the structure featured a hexagonal keeper’s dwelling with a cast-iron frame and wooden elements, topped by a lantern housing a fourth-order Fresnel lens.

The light marked the southern approach to Galveston Bay and provided fixed white illumination with red and dark sectors to guide ships through the channel. Despite its strategic location, the light was discontinued in 1909 after only 27 years of service, as newer aids to navigation were introduced.

Although the light was removed, the station continued to operate as a fog signal until 1950. The remaining structure was dismantled in 1953. Today, a modern beacon near the original site functions as a range light for the Houston Ship Channel.

Legacy

Fort Point Light is remembered as part of the early system of Gulf Coast lighthouses that supported maritime trade and safety during Galveston’s rise as a major port city in the late 19th century.

References

  • "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Texas". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
  • Galveston Bay, Texas (Map) (35 ed.). 1:80,000. NOAA. 2007. Chart 11326. Retrieved 2008-01-11.