Tybee Island Lighthouse and Fort Screven, Tybee Island, Georgia

There is so much to thinking about when it comes to the U.S. state of Georgia.  It is home to the capital city of Atlanta which is home to many companies like Coca Cola, and it was the host of the 1996 Summer Olympics.  You have the city of Augusta which is the home to ‘The Masters’, the biggest golf event of the Professional Golf Association.  You have the historic port city of Savannah to include the birthplace of Julliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girls Scouts of America which was established in Savannah.  The southern trailhead of the Appalachian Trail in in the northern region of the state.  There is so much in this state, but very few think about the state’s ocean coastline.  Among the towns on the coast of Georgia is the town of Tybee Island.  In Tybee Island is the eastern terminus of U.S. Route 80.  It is also the home of Fort Screven and the Tybee Island Lighthouse.

What is special about the Tybee Island Lighthouse and Fort Screven?  Fort Screven was a fort that was erected during the Spanish American War to protect the mouth of the nearby Savannah River with Fort Pulaski and Fort Jackson protecting the river further inland.  The fort was never completed as it never saw any action during that war.  The Tybee Island Lighthouse is the oldest and the tallest lighthouse in the state and one of the most intact lighthouses in the United States of America.  It is a site to see if you are ever in the Savannah region.

Some of you are saying, “This is wonderful.  Lighthouses were great for guiding ships through treacherous waterways, but lighthouses did nothing for railroads.  Therefore, do not leave the light on for me as I will not be visiting here.”

What history does the Tybee Island Lighthouse and Fort Screven have with the railroad?  The truth is that neither the lighthouse nor the fort has a history with the railroad.

Some of you are saying, “Well then.  There is no reason to visit here.”

As mentioned, the lighthouse and fort has no history with the railroad, but Tybee Island does.

The Tybee Island Lighthouse and Fort Screven features, of course, the lighthouse and a section of a fort.  The lighthouse features, of course, the lighthouse, plus it has the lighthouse keeper’s house and a few outbuildings.  The remaining section of Fort Screven houses a museum about the history of the island itself.  One of the things mentioned is how people traveled to the island.  In the beginning, people arrived by boat.  Travel time from Savannah to the island was three hours, and space was limited.

Then, in 1887, the Central of Georgia Railway built a railroad to the Island.  It brought more people to the island with trains running more frequently.  Sadly, U.S. Route 80 was built allowing more access to Tybee Island, and the railroad service ceased in 1933.  There are many panels that tell the story of the railroad to the island, and there is a small train display to see.  Today, as you travel U.S. Route 80, you can see some of the remains of the old railroad bed.

Tybee Island Lighthouse and Fort Screven is located at 30 Meddin Drive in Tybee Island, Georgia.  Parking is on site.  It is open 9:00and to 4:30pm but closed on Tuesday.  Please note that the structures are not wheelchair accessible.  You can learn more about admission and read more into the history of the lighthouse at https://www.tybeelighthouse.org/.

So, you have a reason to visit the Tybee Island Lighthouse.  The railroad may be gone, but the legacy of the railroad remains.