Page 73 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2016

lighthouse because its founder, the late Lloyd Compton, was interested in saving the structure.
Initially, federal grant money was obtained after Hurricane Georges to right the lighthouse’s base and build a protective caisson around it. Compton Engineering received the contract
to design and oversee the job. Parts of the metal lantern room, handrails and as many bricks as possible were recovered and stored on land, which proved fortunate because Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 toppled the lighthouse base inside the caisson.
“We knew we could no longer protect it from nature. It was decided that if we were going to reconstruct the lighthouse, it had to be moved to a protected area,” said Joey Duggan, an engineer with Compton’s.
Pascagoula officials selected a sliver of publicly owned land south of
U.S. 90 and the high rise bridge that crosses the Pascagoula River.
The removal of the 19th century 220-ton brick and mortar lighthouse base from Round Island to its new home in 2010 gave Duggan sleepless nights. “The contractor, Jason Borries, had to be very gentle with a mass
of bricks,” he said. “The process involved erecting a rail system on Round Island, transporting the base on a barge up the Pascagoula River
THE VIEW FROM THE TOP of the lighthouse with the beautifully rebuilt lamp.
and then unloading it on two remote- controlled Mommoet transports
from the riverfront up to its new foundation.”
Once the base was set, Precision Products Inc. of Moss Point got to work restoring the 15-foot tall metal lantern gallery using parts that
had been salvaged after Hurricane Georges. J.O. Collins Contracting
Inc. of Biloxi constructed the 35-foot tower of the lighthouse that was strengthened with a steel interior and surrounded by a lime-washed brick veneer. The restored lantern gallery
topped the lighthouse. The lantern gallery is about 70 percent original and the base is about 30 percent original, Duggan said.
The final phase completed the interior. Heart of pine wood steps allow people to reach the top and look out over the city. The replica of a Fresnel lens in the lantern gallery gives a warm welcome.
For more information about the Round Island Lighthouse contact the City of Pascagoula at 228.938.6600
or visit their website www. cityofpascagoula.com.
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May 2016 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 73