Cape St. George Lighthouse and Apalachicola Bay

by James L. Hargrove, Carol A. Talley

Overview

The beacon of the historic Cape St. George Lighthouse still guides mariners into Apalachicola Bay. Founded in 1831, the town of Apalachicola took its name from Creek Indians, to whom it signified a land of friendly people. Sheltered from the Gulf of Mexico by a string of barrier islands, the port flourished as the only site in Florida on a river that is navigable for over 300 miles to the fall line at Columbus, Georgia, Apalachicola's sister city. Generations of lighthouse keepers were bound to St. George Island and its great bay by an intense sense of duty to sustain seagoing commerce and a love for a place where they could raise their families in freedom. When the foundation washed away in 2005 after a very active hurricane season and a final surge from Hurricane Wilma, residents took action to salvage and rebuild the historic lighthouse. Visitors may still climb the lighthouse tower, surrounded by bricks that were first laid in 1852.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467124973
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	04/17/2017
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,067,093
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

The authors, James L. Hargrove and Carol A. Talley, thank the St. George Lighthouse Association, which provided access to its extensive digital archives, and also thank the families who shared memories of growing up at the lighthouse and helping their fathers and mothers keep the light burning in fair and stormy weather.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Lighthouse Keepers and Families at Cape St. George 9

2 The Need for a Lighthouse on Apalachicola Bay 21

3 The 1852 Lighthouse, A Love Story 35

4 The Civil War in Apalachicola Bay 49

5 Lighthouses and Commerce During Reconstruction 57

6 Living at the Cape St. George Lighthouse 73

7 The Coast Guard Years and World War II 89

8 Winds of Change 99

9 Rebirth of the Cape St. George Lighthouse 113

Bibliography 127

The St. George Lighthouse Association 127