A short early morning tour in Mississippi will definitely convince an afternoon person to get up once the sun rises because the Biloxi Lighthouse has a stipulated schedule for tourists. Its guided tour is open from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. as the cast iron structured lighthouse gets hot beyond this schedule. Tourists will never get disappointed with the captivating view of the beach and the plain view of the Beau Rivage Hotel and the Hard Rock Hotel.
The Biloxi Lighthouse is rich in history and fascinating facts those non-lighthouse fanatics will consider visiting the tower. The operational lighthouse was built in 1848 and it is standing for over 100 years and has survived Hurricane Camille in 1969 and the much worse Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It was the first cast-iron tower located in the South and it was casted in Baltimore by Murray and Hazlehurst Vulcan Works. The lighthouse contract was worth $6,347.
The first lighthouse keeper is male with the name of Marcellus J. Howard. However, the lighthouse had earned the merit of having a female lighthouse keeper for many years as compared to any other lighthouse in the United States. In fact, Maria Younghans described as a “plucky woman” served for 53 years. Her passion in serving was tested when a large pelican broke a glass windowpane in the lantern room. It was a stormy weather but she quickly repaired it temporarily to allow the light to send out a beam for the sailors in the middle of the storm. She assumed the responsibility after her husband Perry Younghans died. The first female keeper is Mary Reynolds.
Biloxi Lighthouse sits between the east and west bound lanes, four lanes of traffic, of highway 90. It is the most photographed landmark in the southern part of US. It was also featured and commemorated in the 2009 US postage stamp which was part of the series of stamps of lighthouses that weathered powerful storms.
Visit the rededicated lighthouse which had undergone makeover in 2010 with its newly installed exterior lighting. Check the blue bands that were painted on the brick lining which indicates where the sea level rose up during the different hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina has the highest band which was 21.5 feet above mean sea level and the Hurricane Camille was 17.5 feet above mean sea level.
