Aransas Pass Light Station also called Lydia Ann Lighthouse is an historic light station in Aransas County, Harbor Island, just outside the city limits of Port Aransas, Texas, behind San Jose and Mustang Islands, that protects a natural gulf pass to Aransas and Corpus Christi Bays.
 Aransas Pass Light Station | |
 | |
| Location | Aransas County, Texas |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 27°51′51″N 97°03′23″W / 27.86417°N 97.05639°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1856 |
| Foundation | Screwpile, concrete |
| Construction | Red brick |
| Automated | yes |
| Height | 68 feet (21 m) |
| Shape | Octagon |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place, National Register of Historic Places listed place  |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1857 |
| Deactivated | 1952 |
| Focal height | 60 feet (18 m) |
| Lens | fourth order Fresnel lens |
| Range | 13 miles (21 km) |
| Characteristic | FF W |
Aransas Pass Light Station | |
| Nearest city | Port Aransas, Texas |
| Area | 23.8 acres (9.6 ha) |
| Built by | U.S. Lighthouse Board |
| NRHP reference No. | 77001423[1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 3, 1977 |
History
editThe Aransas Pass Light Station was one of original Texas stations of the Lighthouse Service, that was formed in 1851, and merged into the Coast Guard in 1939. The Board wrote Inspector Stevens, "…it is very important that the Sabine, Aransas Pass, Shell keys, Ship Shoal, Barataria, & Timbalier Lights should be built as soon as possible."[2]
The lighthouse is the second oldest on the Texas coast and the oldest surviving structure in the Aransas Pass-Corpus Christi area.[3]
When the Aransas Pass shifted, the light station was not needed and a new light was installed on Port Aransas. The Light was extinguished and the property delisted in 1952, and the property considered surplus. It was sold at auction in 1955. The channel was renamed Lydia Ann Channel and the light station Lydia Ann Light Station.
Current
editH-E-B CEO Charles Butt purchased the light station, hired a caretaker, remodeled and restored the structures after a hurricane, and put the automated lighthouse back into service in 1988. It is currently the only light station on the Texas coast to have an on-site caretaker and as of 2012, Rick Reichenbach is currently the second.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Aransas Pass Lighthouse" (PDF). The Keeper’s Log. U. S. Lighthouse Society’s. 2005. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-03. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
- ^ "Texas historical marker". Texmaps and Carson Map Company, Inc. 2014. Archived from the original on 2009-10-23. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
External links
edit- Lighthouse Digest: Texas's “Lydia Ann” Light Shines On'
- United States Lighthouses - Aransas Pass Lydia Ann Lighthouse