Ships carried sections of the lighthouse through the Gulf of Mexico. Workers on the Mississippi shore put it together at the site. The Biloxi Lighthouse was lit for the first time in May 1848. It stood strong through the Civil War and superstorms. More than 175 years later, Biloxi’s light still shines bright from the Gulf Coast.
Most lighthouses are made from brick or stone. The Biloxi Lighthouse is a bit different. Workers built it by bolting together metal plates made in Baltimore, Maryland. It was only the second cast iron lighthouse in the United States. (Workers added a brick layer inside.) The tower stands 64 feet (19 m) tall. Its light reaches 11 miles (18 km) into the Gulf of Mexico.
Biloxi’s helped ships stay safe. It guided them through the Mississippi Sound along the Gulf Coast. Ships sailed through to reach New Orleans. Some took visitors to Biloxi. Steamboats also carried goods into Biloxi’s harbor. That helped the southern city grow. Over the years, the Biloxi Lighthouse continued to do its job.
Hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast in 1906, 1915, 1947, and 1969. Each one caused great damage. Yet after every storm, the Biloxi Lighthouse remained. Then there was Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Its storm surge reached a record 21.5 feet (6.5 m) high. The Biloxi Lighthouse still stood. Afterward, an American flag hung from the railing of the white tower.
At one time, 11 lighthouses guarded Mississippi’s shore. After Katrina, the Biloxi Lighthouse was the only one left. It is not only a of the Gulf Coast. It’s a symbol of hope and .
Keepers worked at the Biloxi Lighthouse from 1848 through 1939. They made sure its light stayed on. Three of the six keepers were women. Perry Younghans became the keeper in 1866. When he died the next year, his wife, Maria Younghans, took over. She had that job for 51 years. After that, her daughter Miranda Younghans was keeper for 10 years. The light became automated in 1940. Women were keepers for 74 years.
“Biloxi Lighthouse had female keepers for more years than any other lighthouse in the United States!” said Erin Boris. The lighthouse expert told News-O-Matic that students should learn about that. “It sheds light on ways in which women workers enabled safe travels and ,” Boris explained.
“Working in a lighthouse could be lonely, dirty, and dangerous,” added Boris. Yet women were paid for hard work. “Unlike most jobs in the 1800s, many women lighthouse workers received equal pay to male workers!” That was about $600 per year.
The Biloxi Lighthouse shines today. It blinks on for 3 seconds, then off for 3 seconds. The lighthouse does that night after night, year after year. This helps shine a light on Mississippi’s past — and will do so far into the future.
Updated August 4, 2023, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
