Another Friday Light Day!

The lighthouse featured on The Hook today is...drum roll please...

Halfmoon Shoal Lighthouse, Galveston, Texas

 Then

Now

This lighthouse dates back to 1854 when it was erected in Galveston Bay near the Texas City Dike. Unfortunately it no longer exists, but fortunately there is a replica near the Texas City Dike. I thought it was interesting that this lighthouse used a bell instead of some kind of foghorn to warn passing ships. Like many lighthouses in the South, this light and fog warning bell were decommissioned until after the Civil War so the Yankees couldn’t use it as a guide. During the Great Hurricane of 1900, a steamer ship broke free and crashed into the lighthouse, destroying it and killing the light keeper, Charles Bowen. After that, a beacon was put in place to replace the fated light.