Off the coast of Savannah, Tybee Island Light is the oldest of the
Georgia lighthouses. It was built in 1736 by order of General James Olgethorpe.
A ninety-foot, octagonal tower of wood was built to assist with navigation at
the mouth of the commercially strategic river. This tower was the tallest
structure of its kind in colonial America. The daymark could not stand up to the
elements of the ocean and it only stood for just a few years. In 1742 a second
wooden tower, 94 feet tall and topped by a thirty foot flagpole was built.
Around 1767, this tower also fell to the wind and sea, and a third lighthouse
was constructed in 1773.
The Tybee Light is still operational and enjoyed by visitors who can relive
the keeper's journey to the top and have a breathtaking view of Tybee Island,
Ft. Screven, Hilton Head and the surrounding coastal waters. The light station
is one of America's most intact light stations, having all of its historic
support structures still on site. It has withstood storms, fire, and the 1886
earthquake. The station is maintained by the Tybee Island Historical Society
