Biloxi Lighthouse

A few months ago Sam made a special request.  He wanted to see a lighthouse.  He's been counting down the days until we could go see Yiayia, Papou, and the lighthouse.

There is a great new visitor's center across the street from the lighthouse that just opened three months ago.  

It had lots of interactive displays and was just gorgeous.

The visitor's center had lots of interesting displays, but one that really caught our attention explained the  role of the different nationalities on the gulf coast. 

Of course we were drawn to the Greek and Italian displays.

The Biloxi Lighthouse was erected in 1848 and was one of the first cast-iron lighthouses in the South. It is the city's signature landmark and has become a post-Katrina symbol of the city's resolve and resilience.

The light was civilian operated from 1848 to 1939, and is notable for its several female lightkeepers, including Maria Younghans, who tended the lightfor 53 years. In 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard assumed responsibility for the light's operation.

The Biloxi Lighthouse stood landlocked for the first time with the completion of the sand beach in the early 1950s.  The Coast Guard decommissioned the Lighthouse in 1967, and in 1968 it became the property of the City of Biloxi.  The Lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places and is an official Mississippi Landmark.  It is listed in the 2002 edition of "Ripley's Believe It or Not" as the only lighthouse standing in the median of a four-lane highway.  

The lighthouse has withstood many storms over the years. Katrina's storm surge enveloped a third of the 64-foot tall lighthouse, and the constant pounding from the water and winds toppled many bricks that lined the interior of the cast iron tower. The storm’s winds also broke many of the windows in the light cupola and destroyed the structure's electrical system.

In March 2010, the city re-opened the lighthouse to public tours after a 14-month, $400,000 restoration that was funded by FEMA and MEMA.

Back in the visitor's center and Benny is throwing a fit.  :(

There we go.  All better now.

Enjoying coffee and cookies in rocking chairs on the porch of the visitor's center ... gorgeous weather and an amazing view of the lighthouse and the gulf.

The beachfront of Biloxi lies directly on the Mississippi Sound, with barrier islands between it and the Gulf of Mexico. The 26-mile-long stretch of beach that runs from Pass Christian to Biloxi is the longest man-made beach in the United States and was created to support the sea wall built in 1924 to halt the erosion of the coastline.

The boys could have played on the beach for hours.

They were both a little scared of the water though.

Once the water touched Benny's foot he was sure to stay clear.

Biloxi Lighthouse with the visitor's center in the background.