Middle Bay Lighthouse: A Beacon in Mobile Bay

Located in the heart of Mobile Bay, the Middle Bay Lighthouse, also known as Mobile Bay Lighthouse, has been a guiding light for mariners since December 1, 1885. This unique hexagonal-shaped, cottage-style lighthouse is a screw-pile lighthouse, meaning it's built on metal pilings screwed directly into the seafloor, a design well-suited for the bay's soft, muddy bottom.Patterned after lighthouses in Chesapeake Bay, the Middle Bay Light originally featured a fourth-order Fresnel lens that cast a white light with red flashes every 30 seconds, visible to Mobilians across the bay. A bell, struck by machinery every five seconds, served as a fog signal. The lighthouse was manned by keepers and their families until it was automated in 1935.Deactivated in 1967, the lighthouse faced potential demolition, but local advocacy groups, including the Mobile Bar Pilots Association, successfully argued for its preservation, citing its continued value as a navigational aid easily picked up by ship radar. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and is currently under the care of the Alabama Historical Commission.Though the original Fresnel lens is now on display at the Fort Morgan Museum, the Middle Bay Lighthouse continues to stand as a symbol of Mobile's maritime past. While interior tours are not available, its exterior can be admired from the water, making it a popular destination for boat tours and fishing charters.