Choctaw Point Light

Last updated

Choctaw Point Light
Choctaw Point Light
LocationChoctaw Point south of Mobile, Alabama
Coordinates 30°40′N87°59′W / 30.667°N 87.983°W / 30.667; -87.983
Tower
Constructionbrick
Height43 feet (13 m)
Shapeconical tower
Light
First lit1831
Deactivated1862
Focal height63 feet (19 m) [1]

The Choctaw Point Light was a lighthouse located just south of Mobile, Alabama on the west shore of Mobile Bay.

History

Mobile Bay is quite shallow, and dredging began in 1826 using a machine developed by John Grant, a sea captain in the area. [2] The channel opened the city up to greater traffic and in 1831 a brick tower was constructed on Choctaw Point, which projected from the west shore somewhat south of town. [3] It was considered poorly sited by pilots due to its lack of alignment with the channels. [1]

The beacon was extinguished at the outset of the Civil War and was never relit. [3] The site was used for a buoy depot and railroad wharves; today it is occupied by a container shipping terminal, and no trace of the light remains. [3] [4]

References

  1. 1 2 Mills, Robert (1845). American Lighthouse Guide. Washington: William M. Morrison. p.  81 . Retrieved 2014-01-25. choctaw point lighthouse.
  2. ↑ "Mobile Bay (Middle Bay) Light". LighthouseFriends. Archived from the original on 2014-03-31. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  3. 1 2 3 Holland, Francis Ross (1981). America's Lighthouses: An Illustrated History. Dover. p. 143. ISBN   9780486255767 . Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  4. ↑ "Lighthouses of Alabama". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Archived from the original on 2013-05-17. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.