Choctaw Point Light

Choctaw Point Light
Map
LocationChoctaw Point south of Mobile, Alabama
Coordinates30°40′N 87°59′W / 30.667°N 87.983°W / 30.667; -87.983
Tower
Constructionbrick
Height43 feet (13 m)
Shapeconical tower
Light
First lit1831
Deactivated1862
Focal height63 feet (19 m)[1]

The Choctaw Point Light was a lighthouse located just south of Mobile, Alabama on the west shore of Mobile Bay.

History

Mobile Bay is quite shallow, and dredging began in 1826 using a machine developed by John Grant, a sea captain in the area.[2] The channel opened the city up to greater traffic and in 1831 a brick tower was constructed on Choctaw Point, which projected from the west shore somewhat south of town.[3] It was considered poorly sited by pilots due to its lack of alignment with the channels.[1]

The beacon was extinguished at the outset of the Civil War and was never relit.[3] The site was used for a buoy depot and railroad wharves; today it is occupied by a container shipping terminal, and no trace of the light remains.[3][4]

References

  1. ^ a b Mills, Robert (1845). American Lighthouse Guide. Washington: William M. Morrison. p. 81. Retrieved 2014-01-25. choctaw point lighthouse.
  2. ^ "Mobile Bay (Middle Bay) Light". LighthouseFriends. Archived from the original on 2014-03-31. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  3. ^ a b c Holland, Francis Ross (1981). America's Lighthouses: An Illustrated History. Dover. p. 143. ISBN 9780486255767. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  4. ^ "Lighthouses of Alabama". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Archived from the original on 2013-05-17. Retrieved 2014-01-26.