Sabine Pass Lighthouse

Does this Lighthouse remind you of a rocket preparing for lift off? :)

It was humbling to witness and photograph this impressive landmark which went into operation in 1857. The Lighthouse remained lit for 95 years except for a brief period of time during the Civil War.

The most one-sided Confederate Victory of the Civil War, the Second Battle of Sabine Pass, was fought in full view of this Lighthouse on the Sabine River on September 8, 1863. Lt. Dowling with his 46 Confederate soldiers defeated a flotilla of four gunboats and eighteen troop transports carrying 5,000 Federal Infantrymen entering the Sabine River in less than an hour with accurate cannon fire and without the loss of a single Confederate soldier.

The Lighthouse's most recent challenge was its face-to-face encounter with mighty Hurricane Rita in September, 2005. In spite of Rita's rage, fury and mass destruction this sentinel of the past remained standing. For 153 years this Lighthouse has stood the test of time passing all challenges by Mother Nature.

It was a pleasure to witness this survivor rich in history first hand.