Calhoun County Historical Commission invites the public to

The Matagorda Light House Historical Marker dedication on February 22,2025 ,at the Port OConnor Library at 10:00 A.M.

MATAGORDA ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE IN 1848, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ACQUIRED LAND ON THE EASTERN END OF MATAGORDA ISLAND TO BUILD A LIGHTHOUSE AS A NAVIGATIONAL AID AT PASS CAVALLO. THE BALTIMORE FOUNDRY OF MURRAY & HAZLEHURST WAS CHOSEN TO PRODUCE THE CAST IRON TOWER. CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN JUNE 1852 WITH A 75-FOOT-TALL TOWER; THE REFLECTOR-TYPE LIGHT FIRST SHONE ON DECEMBER 31, 1852, CASTING A LIGHT EVERY 90 SECONDS WHICH COULD BE SEEN FOR MILES. IN THE SPRING OF 1854, THE TOWER WAS PAINTED WITH DISTINCTIVE WHITE, RED, AND BLACK HORIZONTAL BANDS. IN 1857-58, THE TOWER’S HEIGHT WAS INCREASED AND THE ORIGINAL LIGHT WAS REPLACED WITH A THIRD ORDER FRESNEL LENS. AFTER THE OUTBREAK OF THE CIVIL WAR IN 1861, THE LIGHTHOUSE CEASED TO OPERATE. CONFEDERATE TROOPS ATTEMPTED TO DESTROY THE LIGHTHOUSE, DAMAGING SIX CAST IRON PANELS AND REMOVING THE LENS. THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS DISMANTLED IN 1866. THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS REBUILT AT A HEIGHT OF 92 FEET A NEW LOCATION FURTHER INLAND, USING THE EXISTING IRON PANELS AND NEW MATERIALS. THE TOWER WAS PAINTED BLACK, AND THE LIGHT WAS RESTORED ON SEPTEMBER 1, 1873, SERVING THE AREA AND THE COASTAL PORTS OF INDIANOLA AND PORT O’CONNOR. THE LIGHTHOUSE GROUNDS ALSO INCLUDED A LIGHTKEEPER’S RESIDENCE; THE LIGHTHOUSE REMAINED MANNED UNTIL THE SYSTEM WAS AUTOMATED IN 1956. THE COAST GUARD PLANNED TO ABANDON THE LIGHTHOUSE IN 1977, WHEN THE HISTORIC FRESNEL LENS WAS MOVED TO PORT O’CONNOR, BUT THE MATAGORDA ISLAND FOUNDATION AND MANY IN THE COMMUNITY RALLIED TO SAVE IT. IN 1984 THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS LISTED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. HAVING SURVIVED SEVERAL MAJOR HURRICANES AND STORMS, THE LIGHTHOUSE SITE, NOW PART OF THE MATAGORDA ISLAND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA, REMAINS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE STORY OF TRANSPORTATION, COMMERCE AND ENGINEERING IN THE REGION.