>> Click to enlarge << Sabine Pass Lighthouse as it appeared in 1951 ...

The Cameron Preservation Alliance has launched a GoFundMe site in an effort to help raise money for the 1856 Sabine Pass Lighthouse in Sabine Pass, Louisiana. Efforts to try and save this lighthouse were started a number of years ago, but the major hurricanes in 2005 and then again in 2008 devastated the community and the Parish had many more serious and pressing needs, such as rebuilding homes, businesses, and shattered lives. Much has been accomplished in recent years in the rebuilding efforts.

>> Click to enlarge << Sabine Pass Lighthouse as it appears today. Photo by: Wendy W. Harrington

The once proud Sabine Pass Lighthouse has been plagued by difficulties ever since May 20, 1952 when the Coast Guard announced that the spectacular lighthouse, built in 1856, was going to be extinguished and torn down. Although the lighthouse was saved from the wrecking ball then, it is has since gone through a number of ownership changes, both public and private. Some efforts seemed to be on the right track, but each suffered setbacks that were also severely hindered by vandalism and the elements.

>> Click to enlarge << The Sabine Pass Lighthouse with its keeper’s ...

Finally, in 2001, the Cameron Preservation Alliance got control of the lighthouse and they were soon headed on track to save it. Although violent hurricanes temporarily derailed those efforts, the tenacious group is now back on track to raise money to save the historic lighthouse. And they believe, as do we, that, with the public’s help and a lot of hard work, the lighthouse can be saved, but it will take time, lots of money, and lots of patience.

>> Click to enlarge << Crack in the upper portion of the tower of Sabine ... Photo by: Wendy W. Harrington

To make a much needed donation, go to www.GoFundMe.com/splighthouse.

>> Click to enlarge << Close-up view of what is left of the lantern at ... Photo by: Wendy W. Harrington

>> Click to enlarge << The remains of the interior collapsed stairs of ... Photo by: Andrew Tingler

This story appeared in the May/Jun 2016 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

All contents copyright © 1995-2024 by Lighthouse Digest®, Inc. No story, photograph, or any other item on this website may be reprinted or reproduced without the express permission of Lighthouse Digest. For contact information, click here.