Though
it looks like a burned out shell, the Point Bolivar
Light has never been the victim of fire. It was purchased
from the government in 1947 and is now part of a private
residence.
The
owners live in the old lighthouse keeper's bungalow
next door, which as built in 1871. The tower was once
painted in black and white stripes, but is now all
black, and the optics have been removed. This is the
third lighthouse at this location. The first one was
a 65-foot red tower which was taken down in 1862 and
put in storage during the Civil War. A three-story
wooden tower was erected in its place 1865 and replaced
by the current tower in 1873. In 1933 the lighthouse
was retired and replaced by the South Jetty Light
marking the entrance to Galveston Bay and the Houston
Ship Channel. Though the lighthouse is now private
property, it can still be viewed from a distance.
It stand along Texas Highway 87 east of Galveston.
The state operates a free ferry service 24 hours a
day between Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the lens, and mechanism
for the light are now at the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, DC. According to locals, they're in
the Galveston County Museum.
- 1900
- More than one hundred people sought shelter inside
the lighthouse during the Great Storm of 1900. Their
lives were spared by the hurricane which killed
6,000 people in Galveston and is the worst natural
disaster in U.S. history.
-
1915 - More than 60 people sought shelter inside
the lighthouse during another hurricane. The tidal
surge inundated the structure and carried away its
fuel supply, but everyone inside lived.
-
1968 - The film "My Sweet Charlie" was filmed at
the lighthouse.
