'It's not only Tybee’s icon, it’s also Georgia’s icon': $1.6M needed to repair lighthouse

What many consider the icon of Tybee Island is in need of immediate preservation, and the Tybee Island Historical Society is calling on the people of the island for help.

It was determined during a routine assessment last winter that Tybee Island’s historic 1773 lighthouse is in need of essential repairs, according to Tybee Island Historical Society Executive Director Sarah Jones. The windows around the Fresnel lens, the roof and masonry all need repairs.

“We try and do a major assessment about every 20 years,” Jones said. “We did have them come down about five years ago and assess for the paint, but this was a little bit of a more in-depth assessment because we have a spot that’s popping up on the lighthouse, and we just couldn’t figure out where that moisture was coming from.

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Jones said the efflorescence was leaching out from the brickwork to make the white spot on the side of the lighthouse. The engineering company, ICC Commonwealth, had a member who had an idea that it was coming from the top of the lighthouse. They assessed it and found a lot of the damage was around the lens room, which the lighthouse staff doesn’t have ready access to because it belongs to the U.S. Coast Guard.

“What we’re trying to do is repair the lantern,” said ICC Commonwealth Division Manager Tyler Finkle. “(That) is the ironwork that holds the glass that protects the lens. Over time the corrosion between the iron and bronze causes damage to the glazing. That allows in moisture and rain condensation over time because of the corrosion.”

The water seeped down into the walls and deteriorated the brick and mortar, and had no time to dry out, according to Jones. This damage is around the lens room. If it’s not fixed, the water is going to continue to erode the brick and slowly move further into the building.

“So the project will be to repair the curtain wall, take all the glass out, repair and perform cast iron replenishment and coatings, and that’ll keep the water out,” Finke said. “And the second level will be opened up and incrementally rebuilt as necessary. We’re only gonna go as deep as necessary, but remove the brick that’s fractured and deteriorated and rebuild it with the same compatible materials.”

The timeline for repairs starts in November, and it will be a three-phase project that will last until June 2024.

“The historical society had some funds saved because we knew repainting was coming up,” Jones said. “And then we always have a little bit of extra for emergency repairs. So we have enough to get the first two phases done, which is repairing the lens room, and repairing the drum which is the wall that sits under the lens room. What we don’t have enough for is the actual repainting, which for the most part is cosmetic. So we’re trying to fundraise and get enough money so we can get it repainted and all done in one go.”

All three phases total about $1.6 million, and possibly more if other repairs are needed. Each phase is more than $500,000. The painting job is about $600,000, Jones said.

The lighthouse remains an active navigational aid for the Coast Guard, Jones said. It's unique in many ways, including that it's a rear-range light, as opposed to a front-range light, which means it sits in the back of all of the lights in the water. Ships line the lighthouse up with the other lights and that's how they know what path to stay on.

The National Park Service calls the Tybee Lighthouse a hybrid, because the bottom half was built in 1773 and burned during the Civil War, and the top half was rebuilt in 1867. It's two lighthouses in one. Jones said that the lighthouse is also octagonal, which is odd.

"We've been active navigation since after the Civil War, and we've survived the Charleston earthquake, and many of the most fierce hurricanes that have come through," Jones said. "It's still going strong. It's over a 200-year history that we have."

Jones said that the lighthouse has 120,000 visitors come through every year, and the primary day-to-day is just to educate people about the lighthouse and allow people to experience it.

“It’s also not only Tybee’s icon, but in a way, it’s also Georgia’s icon,” Jones said. “If you watch PBS, You’ll see sometimes the lighthouse pop up as their opening before a show, and lots of people in the general area use the Tybee light to represent businesses and organizations. So the lighthouse is important for the community.”

Any contribution people can give through their GoFundMe campaign or on their website helps, Jones said. She also encourages people to become a member of the Tybee Island Historical Society or volunteer at the lighthouse.

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This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Tybee Island Historical Society seeks to repair historic lighthouse