Lighthouses of the United States: Alabama

The United States of America is a federal union of 50 states and a capital district. Alabama is a southeastern state located between the states of Georgia and Mississippi. Spain gave up its claims to most of the area in a 1795 treaty and the U.S. forcibly annexed the coastal region in 1812. Formerly part of the Mississippi Territory, Alabama was organized as a separate territory in 1817 and admitted to the Union as a state in 1819.

Alabama has a short coastline on the Gulf of Mexico west of Florida, with a major port at Mobile facing the broad waters of Mobile Bay, the combined estuary of the Mobile and Tensaw Rivers. The state has three historic lighthouses but only one is active and another has been removed indefinitely. A state preservation society, the Alabama Lighthouse Association, was formed in 2002. And there's work to do, because the state's record in lighthouse preservation is very poor. The Sand Island Lighthouse, seen at right, is one of the most endangered lighthouses in the nation and all three historic lighthouses are on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List.

Navigational aids in the United States are operated by the U.S. Coast Guard but ownership (and sometimes operation) of historic lighthouses has been transferred to local authorities and preservation organizations in many cases. Alabama lights are the responsibility of Sector Mobile.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. USCG numbers are from Volume IV of the U.S. Coast Guard Light List.

General Sources
Alabama Lighthouse Association (ALA)
The association assists preservation efforts at all three historic lighthouses (Sand Island, Mobile Point, and Mobile Bay).
Alabama Lighthouses
Excellent photos and accounts by Kraig Anderson.
Online List of Lights - U.S. - Alabama
Photos by Capt. Peter Mosselberger and Capt. Theo Hinrichs posted by Alexander Trabas.
Lighthouses in Alabama
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
Mobile Bay Lighthouses
Posted by Brown Marine of Pensacola, this page has photos of the Mobile Point tower and the Fresnel lenses from Middle Bay and Sand Island.
Leuchttürme USA auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center: Light Lists
The USCG Light List can be downloaded in pdf format.
NOAA Nautical Charts
Nautical charts for the coast can be viewed online.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for Alabama.

 


Sand Island Light, August 2020
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Teaves0921

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Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay Lighthouses

Sand Island (Mobile County) Lighthouses
Sand Island (3)
1873 (station established 1838). Inactive since 1933. 131 ft (40 m) round brick tower with lantern and gallery. The tower is unpainted; lantern and gallery originally painted black, although not much paint remains. Sibling of Bodie Island Light, North Carolina. The original 2nd order Fresnel lens is on display at the Fort Morgan Museum. The keeper's house burned in 1925. A photo is above, James Tibbet has a 2020 photo, Ken Allen has a 2015 photo, Cheryl Bosarge has a 2009 closeup, a 2010 view from the Dauphin Island Ferry is available, al.com has a page on the history of the light station, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Bing has a satellite view. The second tower (1859) was destroyed during the Civil War. Critically endangered: the island has dwindled to a sandbar and the tower suffers from years of neglect. The lighthouse is a longtime resident of the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. Preservationists first asked the Alabama Historical Commission to take over the site but in early 2001 the Commission refused to do so. In early 2002 preservationists announced the Dauphin Island Foundation would serve as fiscal agent for the restoration. In early 2003 the state granted $100,000 for a feasibility study to determine if the lighthouse could be relocated to Dauphin Island but the recommendation was to try to restore it in place. In October 2003 ownership was transferred to the town of Dauphin Island. In September 2004 Hurricane Ivan severely damaged the brickwork and foundation of the tower and the lighthouse suffered additional damage by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. In 2006 Thompson Engineering was hired to conduct an engineering study of the lighthouse. In late 2007 the federal government released $320,000 in funds to repair hurricane-related damage and work to stabilize the foundation of the lighthouse was carried out in the summer of 2008. In late 2010 the Corps of Engineers approved a project to place millions of cubic yards of sand (dredge spoil) around the lighthouse in an effort to protect it aginst erosion; the funds came from the BP oil spill mitigation funding. This project was carried out in the fall of 2011 but the artificial island lasted only a year; it was completely washed away by Hurricane Isaac in September 2012. Saving this lighthouse requires a multimillion dollar project similar to the project that has saved the Morris Island Lighthouse near Charleston, South Carolina. No such project is in preparation and as of 2022 restoration efforts appear to be nonexistent. Located about 2 miles (3 km) southwest of Mobile Point. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Town of Dauphin Island. . ARLHS USA-723.
Mobile Lower Reach Outer Range (Range C) Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 82 ft (19 m); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off, visible only on the range line. There is also a passing light, white flash every 4 s, at a focal plane of 23 ft (7 m). 82 ft (19 m) triangular cylindrical skeletal tower, painted white, mounted on a triangular platform supported by piles. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo (also seen at right), a 2010 view from the Dauphin Island Ferry is available, and Google has a satellite view. This range guides southbound (outbound) vessels as they approach Mobile Point. Located just outside the entrance to Mobile Bay, about 1 mi (1.5 km) southwest of Mobile Point. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J3465.1; USCG 4-6245.

Mobile Bay Lower Reach Outer Range Rear Light
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

Mobile Point (Baldwin County) Lighthouses
#Mobile Point (Range Rear) (2)
1873 (station established 1822). Inactive since 1963. 30 ft (9 m) cast iron skeletal tower, painted black. The original 4th order Fresnel lens (1858, transferred from the earlier tower) is on display at the Fort Morgan Museum. The 1-1/2-story wood keeper's house (1872) has been restored and is used by state parks personnel. Bill Echelberger has a 1997 photo and the Coast Guard has a historic photo taken in 1954. Critically endangered. This light station stands on the east side of the entrance to Mobile Bay. The first lighthouse here was heavily damaged during the Civil War. Originally built on top of the walls of Fort Morgan, the present light tower was removed and sold for scrap in 1966. Fortunately the buyer, a junk dealer, kept the tower intact in his junkyard until it was rescued and restored for display outside the fort. By 2003, however, the lighthouse was rusting and much in need of further restoration, so it was removed from display. The dismantled lighthouse is in storage at the Robinson Iron Company in Alexander City, which specializes in cast iron restoration. Incredibly, the disassembled lighthouse is stored in the open, where it continues to deteriorate. In June 2010 Tim Harrison of Lighthouse Digest published an article sharply criticizing the historical commission's inaction on the restoration, and the Digest added the lighthouse to its Doomsday List. In late 2014 the historical commission announced that it hoped to restore and reinstall the lighthouse by the end of 2015. The $400,000 project was to be funded by Baldwin County, which is promoting the Fort Morgan complex as a tourist attraction. Nothing happened. Greg Fitzgerald visited the company in January 2022 and found the dissembled lighthouse still lying where it was more than a decade earlier. Owner: Alabama Historical Commission. Site manager: Robinson Iron Company. ARLHS USA-506.
* Mobile Point (Range A Rear) (3)
1963 (station established 1822). Active; focal plane 125 ft (38 m); white flash every 10 s. 110 ft (33.5 m) square steel skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. The tower also carries the rear light of the Mobile Point Range (continuous red light by day, white light by night) at a focal plane of 80 ft (24 m). In addition, the tower formerly carried a rectangular daymark painted red with a white vertical stripe. The daymark is still listed, although it was removed in 2006. Larry Myhre's photo is at right, Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo, Shaney Gober's 2007 photo shows the tower and the 1872 keeper's house, Anderson has a photo showing the former daymark, Max Lasiy has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. This is the approach range for Mobile Bay; it guides vessels into the start of the dredged Mobile Bay Channel south of Sand Island. Located adjacent to historic Fort Morgan, just off AL 180 at the tip of Mobile Point in Gulf Shores. Site open, tower closed. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: Alabama Historical Commission. Admiralty J3438.1; USCG 4-0180.

Mobile Point Light, Fort Morgan, April 2010
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Larry Myhre

Mobile Bay Channel Lighthouses
Mobile Middle Ground Range (Range B) Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 45 ft (14 m); green light, 3 s on, 3 s off, visible only on the range line. There is also a passing light, white flash every 4 s, at a focal plane of 17 ft (5 m). 45 ft (14 m) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Bing has a distant satellite view. This is the entrance range for the bay. Located just inside the entrance to Mobile Bay, about 1.5 mi (2.5 km) northwest of Mobile Point. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J3462.1; USCG 4-6190.
Mobile Middle Reach Outer Range (Range E) Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 67 ft (20 m); red light occulting once every 4 s, visible only on the range line. There is also a passing light, white flash every 4 s, at a focal plane of 12 ft (3.5 m). 67 ft (20 m) square skeletal tower, painted white, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Bing has a distant satellite view. This range guides outbound vessels through the upper section of the bay. Located on the centerline of Mobile Bay, about 1.8 mi (3 km) due south of the Mobile Bay lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J3482.81; USCG 4-6465.
Mobile Bay (Middle Bay)
1885. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 48 ft (14.5 m); red flash every 6 s. 48 ft (14.5 m) screwpile lighthouse (sibling of Hooper Strait MD) with hexagonal frame keeper's quarters, painted white; lantern removed 1967. 155 mm solar-powered lens on 6 ft (1.8 m) mast centered on the roof. The original 4th order Fresnel lens is on display at the Fort Morgan Museum. Dauphin Island Sea Lab maintains an automatic weather station at the lighthouse. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo (also seen at right), a 2010 photo is available, the Coast Guard has a historic photo, and Bing has a satellite view. Endangered: the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. A well known landmark in the bay, the lighthouse was saved from demolition by citizen protests. In early 2001 the lighthouse was in very poor condition, but later in the year Thompson Engineering was awarded a contract for its restoration. The lighthouse received a new, historically accurate slate roof, rotten wood and corroded tie rods were replaced, and the building was painted. In July 2008 the Alabama Lighthouse Association proposed relocating the lighthouse to the USS Alabama Battleship Park on the US 90 causeway east of Mobile. In June 2009 the Alabama Historical Commission held a public hearing on the possible relocation. The Mobile Bar Pilots Association voiced strong opposition to removing the lighthouse, and in December the Historical Commission voted unanimously to maintain the lighthouse in place. In early 2010 engineers surveyed the structure in preparation for needed repairs. The restoration got underway before the end of 2010 and was completed in 2012 at a cost of $270,000. However, in June 2013 the pilings supporting the lighthouse were damaged by collision with a shrimp boat. In late July Baldwin County earmarked $100,000 of BP Oil tourist development funds to repair the lighthouse. The collision led the Alabama Lighthouse Association to renew its 2008 proposal to move the lighthouse to Battleship Park. Meanwhile, a lantern room and 4th order Fresnel lens supposed to be identical to the originals are on display at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico. Located in the middle of Mobile Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Alabama Historical Commission (Middle Bay Lighthouse). . ARLHS USA-505; Admiralty J3488; USCG 4-6490.01.

Mobile Bay Light, 2014
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission
Mobile Lower Reach Range (Range D) Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 63 ft (19 m); white light occulting once every 4 s, visible only on the range line. There is also a passing light, white flash every 4 s, at a focal plane of 12 ft (3.5 m). 63 ft (19 m) square skeletal tower, painted white, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored green with a red vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Bing has a distant satellite view. This range guides northbound (inbound vessels) through the lower section of the bay. Located in the center of Mobile Bay, about 1.4 mi (2.2 km) north of the Mobile Bay lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J3464.1; USCG 4-6500.
Theodore Channel Outer Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 67 ft (20 m); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off, visible only on the range line. There is also a passing light, white flash every 4 s, at a focal plane of 15 ft (4.5 m). 63 ft (19 m) square skeletal tower, painted white, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Bing has a distant satellite view. This page guides vessels leaving the Theodore Industrial Port south of Mobile. Located east of the centerline of Mobile Bay, about 2 mi (3 km) east of Point Clear. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J3493.51; USCG 4-7340.

Mobile Harbor (Mobile County) Lighthouses
Mobile Channel Range (Range G) Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 55 ft (17 m); green light, 3 s on, 3 s off, visible only on the range line. There is also a quick-flashing white passing light at a focal plane of 14 ft (4 m). 55 ft (17 m) square skeletal tower, painted white, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Bing has a distant satellite view. This range guides southbound (outbound) vessels leaving the Mobile docks. Located about 1.25 mi (2 km) southeast of the Mobile airport. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J3510.1; USCG 4-6650.
Mobile Middle Reach Range (Range F) Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 67 ft (20 m); green light, 3 s on, 3 s off, visible only on the range line. 67 ft (20 m) square skeletal tower, painted white, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo (also seen at right) and Bing has a satellite view. This range guides northbound (inbound) vessels on final approach to the Mobile docks. Located off the Mobile waterfront, a short distance southeast of McDuffie Island. Accessible only by boat, but there should be a good view from shore. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J3517.1; USCG 4-6675.
Arlington Channel Outbound Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 55 ft (18 m); red light occulting once every 4 s, higher intensity on the range line. 55 ft (18 m) square skeletal tower, painted white, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Bing has a satellite view. The range guides ships leaving the Arlington harbor, the location of USCG Sector Mobile, on the south side of Mobile. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J3524.7; USCG 4-7550.

Mobile Range F Rear Light
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

Central and Northern Alabama Lighthouses

Lake Martin (Elmore County) Lighthouse
* Children's Harbor
1989. Active; focal plane about 39 ft (12 m ); continuous white light. Charted by Navionics as a daybeacon called "Plymouth Lighthouse." Approx. 36 ft (11 m) octagonal wood tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern and gallery black. A photo is at right, a fine closeup photo is available, Kenny Shackleford has a nice view, and Google has a satellite view and a distant street view. The lighthouse is a replica of the Plymouth (Gurnet) Light in Massachusetts. It was built by Ben and Luanne Russell as the symbol of Children's Harbor, an adventure camp for children with special needs or serious illness. Lighthouses are a theme at the camp: a Google street view shows there are at least two other buildings designed to resemble lighthouses. Lake Martin is a large artificial lake northeast of Montgomery, created in 1926 by damming the Tallapoosa River. Located at Providence Point, at the south end of the Kowaliga Bridge (AL 63), about 25 km (15 mi) south of Alexander City. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Children's Harbor.

Gadsden Area (Etowah County) Lighthouse
* Bucks Island
Around 1999. Active; focal plane about 39 ft (12 m); continuous white light. Not charted by Navionics. Approx. 35 ft (11 m) octagonal wood tower painted with red and white horizontal bands. Google has a street view and a satellite view. Built as part of a waterfront residential development, the lighthouse was restored in 2019. Located on the Coosa River at the end of Harbor Point Lane in Southside. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: private.

Huntsville Area (Madison County) Lighthouses
#Langbakneset (relocated to Huntsville) (?)
1903. Inactive since 1966. 17 ft (5 m) octagonal cast iron lantern mounted on a round rubblestone foundation. Nearby was a square wood fog bell tower (1929) with bell. Mira d'Oubliette has a 2006 photo and Google has a satellite view. The plaque on the base states that the lantern was a gift to Huntsville from Norway in 1973. There are scores of lanterns of this design still in use in Norway, but many others have been replaced by modern fiberglass lanterns. This one is from the Langbakneset (Langbaken) light (Admiralty L1020, NGA 115-6628) at Langøy, about 9 miles (15 km) west of Kristiansund. The lantern was removed in September 2016 at the start of a reconstruction of the park and a 2019 street view does not show the lighthouse. It was to be replaced but there's no indication that this has occurred. Located in Big Spring Park in downtown Huntsville. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: City of Huntsville.

Children's Harbor Light, Lake Martin, March 2014
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by AlabamaSouthern
** Butler Basin
2001. Active; focal plane 41 ft (12.5 m); white flash every 15 s; charted by Navionics as a landmark. 36 ft (11 m) round cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery. Charted as a landmark by Navionics. Tower painted white, lantern black with a red roof. Evan Terrell has a photo, Steve Kaikkonen has a photo, a view across the river is available, and Google has a satellite view. The builder claims that this is the only lighthouse on the Tennessee River, but there is an older lighthouse at Lighthouse Landing on Kentucky Lake (see Kentucky) as well as the Kennamer and Powell Harbor lighthouses at Guntersville (next entry). Located on a side channel of the Tennessee River at Butler Basin Marina, off Hobbs Island Road about 9 mi (15 km) southeast of Huntsville. Site open; visitors admitted to the lighthouse can climb to the gallery. Owner/site manager: Butler Basin.

Guntersville (Marshall County) Lighthouse
* Kennamer
2004. Active (unofficial); focal plane about 100 ft (31 m); white light, pattern unknown. Charted as active by Navionics. Approx. 98 ft (30 m) octagonal tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted whote, lantern red. Marcie Braden has a 2018 photo, Stephanie Lemke has a 2017 photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This tower was built as a classic "folly" by contractor Jim Kennamer. After his death in October 2014 his wife Loretta sold the property for $1.925 million in April 2015. Located at the end of Lighthouse Way off Cha-La-Kee Drive across the mouth of a southern arm of Guntersville Lake from Guntersville. Site and tower closed (private property) but the lighthouse is easy to see from the gate. Owner/site manager: private.
* Powell Harbor
1995. Inactive; charted as a daybeacon by Navionics. . 32 ft (10 m) square cylindrical wood tower with lantern room and gallery, painted white with a red spiral band. Donna Tomlin has a 2009 photo and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Built by Jimmy McClendon, this was formerly a working lighthouse; it was deactivated due to deteriorated wiring. Increasingly dilapidated, the lighthouse is much in need of renovation. Located on a point projecting into a arm of Guntersville Lake (Tennessee River mile 359), just north of highway 227 on the east side of Guntersville. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: private.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Tennessee | East: Western Florida | West: Mississippi

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Checked and revised September 12, 2023. Lighthouses: 17. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.