Page 72 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2016

ROUND ISLAND
LIGHTHOUASE story by Susan Ruddiman photos by John Stricklin
t one time the Round Island Lighthouse was on the national Doomsday for Lighthouses and Mississippi’s Top Ten Endangered Structures lists, but it has been saved and
72 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • May 2016
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ABOVE: THE ROUND ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE sits at the Hwy
90 entrance to Pascagoula and is now open for tours. LEFT: The lighthouse has been completely restored inside and out.
is open for tours. Sitting proudly at the Highway 90 entrance to Pascagoula, the lighthouse is open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. for a minimal fee. A guide is present during those hours. Even before completion the project garnered international attention with lighthouse tour groups stopping to watch the construction progress.
This nostalgic landmark is a welcoming beacon, symbolizing the area’s maritime heritage and triumph over storms and adversaries, said Jen Dearman, director of community development and economic development in Pascagoula. “The lighthouse has completely changed our gateway to the city. It’s a great symbol,” she said.
The restoration project cost approximately $1.6 million, mostly from grants, with the city contributing around $200,000. The Round Island Lighthouse Preservation Society sold bricks and stairwell sponsorships to raise funds to complete the grounds and landscaping.
The 50-foot tall lighthouse was originally built in 1859 on Round Island which is about four miles south of Pascagoula. The lighthouse’s fourth-order Fresnel lens served as a navigation beacon that could be seen from 12 miles away. A lighthouse keeper and family lived a solitary life on the island.
The U.S. Coast Guard took over the responsibilities of operating lighthouses in 1939. Round Island Lighthouse became automated in 1944 and was discontinued from service in 1954. The Bureau of Land Management deeded Round Island and the lighthouse to the city of Pascagoula in 1986, and the Round Island Lighthouse Preservation Society was formed. The lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The southeast corner of Round Island continued to erode, causing the lighthouse’s foundation to get closer to the water. Then Hurricane Georges in September 1998 toppled the lighthouse’s tower and shifted the sands so the base was in the water.
Compton Engineering Inc. of Pascagoula, Biloxi and Bay St. Louis became involved in the restoration of the