The Biloxi lighthouse, which stands in the center median of Beach Boulevard, is the first cast iron lighthouse to be erected in the South. The light was civilian-operated from 1848 to 1939, and is notable for its several female lightkeepers, including Maria Younghans, who tended the light for 53 years. In 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard assumed responsibility for the light's operation. After being declared surplus property in 1968, the Biloxi Lighthouse was deeded to the city. Construction workers from the Biloxi will begin a six-month restoration of the Biloxi Lighthouse, the city’s signature landmark that was ravaged by Hurr
icane Katrina.The $400,000 project -- primarily funded by FEMA -- will involve returning the lighthouse to its original grandeur. Initial phases of the work include removing the wrought iron fence at the base of the structure. While the fence is being restored, workers will move inside, restoring the bricks that line the inside of the 64-foot tall cast-iron structure. Midway through the process, the lighthouse will be enveloped by scaffolding and shrouded by a tarp while workers prepare its exterior for re-painting.The project is significant because the storm-ravaged Biloxi Lighthouse -- erected in 1848 -- has come to symbolize the city’s resilience,
standing tall amid the debris in the days after Katrina. In 2007, two years after the storm, the likeness of the lighthouse was chosen for an award-winning Mississippi license tag. Today, the flag-draped lighthouse remains one of the most-photographed icons in the city.In fact, the restoration work will be the backdrop for the July 23 first-day issue of a new Postal Service stamp series titled "Lighthouses of the Gulf Coast. The importance of restoration project is not lost on those involved.This restoration has required careful documentation and detailed research of the materials that were originally used, from the original door at the base, and analyzing the cast iron, the bricks and mortar that line the inside of the lighthouse. It’s such an historic icon that the Coast workers take this responsibility very seriously. The goal is to restore it to its original charm and spendor. Katrina’s storm surge toppled many bricks that lined the interior of the cast iron tower.
The storm’s winds broke many of the windows in the light cupola and destroyed the structure's electrical system, but the city, realizing the significance of the Lighthouse, was able to restore temporary power to illuminate the structure’s light within days after the storm. An American flag has hung from the cupola railing since the storm, but will be removed once the restoration is complete.
The Biloxi lighthouse, which stands in the center median of Beach Boulevard, is the first cast iron lighthouse to be erected in the South. The light was civilian-operated from 1848 to 1939, and is notable for its several female lightkeepers, including Maria Younghans, who tended the light for 53 years. In 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard assumed responsibility for the light's operation. After being declared surplus property in 1968, the Biloxi Lighthouse was deeded to the city. Construction workers from the Biloxi will begin a six-month restoration of the Biloxi Lighthouse, the city’s signature landmark that was ravaged by Hurr
icane Katrina.The $400,000 project -- primarily funded by FEMA -- will involve returning the lighthouse to its original grandeur. Initial phases of the work include removing the wrought iron fence at the base of the structure. While the fence is being restored, workers will move inside, restoring the bricks that line the inside of the 64-foot tall cast-iron structure. Midway through the process, the lighthouse will be enveloped by scaffolding and shrouded by a tarp while workers prepare its exterior for re-painting.The project is significant because the storm-ravaged Biloxi Lighthouse -- erected in 1848 -- has come to symbolize the city’s resilience,
standing tall amid the debris in the days after Katrina. In 2007, two years after the storm, the likeness of the lighthouse was chosen for an award-winning Mississippi license tag. Today, the flag-draped lighthouse remains one of the most-photographed icons in the city.In fact, the restoration work will be the backdrop for the July 23 first-day issue of a new Postal Service stamp series titled "Lighthouses of the Gulf Coast. The importance of restoration project is not lost on those involved.This restoration has required careful documentation and detailed research of the materials that were originally used, from the original door at the base, and analyzing the cast iron, the bricks and mortar that line the inside of the lighthouse. It’s such an historic icon that the Coast workers take this responsibility very seriously. The goal is to restore it to its original charm and spendor. Katrina’s storm surge toppled many bricks that lined the interior of the cast iron tower.
The storm’s winds broke many of the windows in the light cupola and destroyed the structure's electrical system, but the city, realizing the significance of the Lighthouse, was able to restore temporary power to illuminate the structure’s light within days after the storm. An American flag has hung from the cupola railing since the storm, but will be removed once the restoration is complete.
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