Battery Gladden Light
Lighthouse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Battery Gladden Light was a lighthouse in Mobile Bay which marked a turn in the old ship channel. It was deactivated in 1913 and no longer exists.
 | |
| Location | Mobile Bay |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 30°40′3″N 88°1′22″W |
| Tower | |
| Foundation | iron screw-pile |
| Construction | wood frame |
| Shape | square house with lantern on roof |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1872 |
| Deactivated | 1913 |
| Focal height | 45 feet (14 m)[1] |
| Lens | lens lantern[1] |
History
Battery Gladden was constructed on an artificial island as part of the defenses set up in the Civil War.[2][3] Dredging operations after the war established a ship channel which ran towards the light and turned to the west just south of the island.[4] In order to direct ships through the channel a square screw-pile house was built in 1872 on the old fortification and equipped with a fourth order Fresnel lens.[2][3] Channel dredging continued and a new channel was dug to the west, bypassing the portion marked by this light, which was extinguished in 1913.[5] The house remained standing as a daymark, finally succumbing to the elements around 1950.[2][3]