Ship Island Lighthouses-GINS
From 1853 to 1972, the United States built two lighthouses on Ship Island to protect vessels from running aground in shallow waters and to guide ships through the Ship Island Pass.
Ship Island became United States territory in 1810 after the Louisiana Purchase, but was declared a military reservation in 1847. Designated as a suitable location for a coastal fort, Federal engineers first constructed a lighthouse in 1853. With the first lighthouse severely damaged and threatened by beach erosion, a second lighthouse was constructed to replace the original lighthouse in 1886. A survivor of devastating hurricanes such as Camille in 1969, the second lighthouse succumbed to arson in 1972. In 1999, the Friends of Gulf Islands National Seashore funded construction of a replica of the 1886 lighthouse. Unfortunately, the replica lighthouse and all the buildings on Ship Island, except for Fort Massachusetts, were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Finally, beach renourishment efforts on the North side of Ship Island in 2011-2012 buried the sites of both historic lighthouses.
West Ship Island is accessible by ferry from Gulfport or by private boat. The ferry schedule depends on the season: five days a week in the Spring and early Fall and seven days a week during the Summer. The location of the two historic lighthouses is about two-hundred yards to the east of the fort. Keep in mind that artifacts found at this site or in the park are protected by federal resource protection laws. Do not remove any artifacts found in the park.
Please contact the park at 228-230-4100 or www.nps.gov/guis for more information.
The ferry service can be contacted at 228-864-1014 or www.msshipisland.com.
