Tybee Island Light Station and Museum

Ordered by General James Oglethorpe, Governor of the 13th colony, in 1732, the Tybee Island Light Station has been guiding mariners safe entrance into the Savannah River for over 285 years.

Under the direction of Noble Jones of Wormsloe Plantation, work began on the first day-mark (a lighthouse without a light) built on Tybee. It was constructed in 1736. It was octagonal in shape and was constructed of brickwork and cedar piles. Standing ninety feet tall, it was the tallest structure of its kind in America at that time. Unfortunately, storms took their toll on Tybee’s first day-mark. Five years after its completion, a new day-mark was commissioned. While work was progressing on a new day-mark, a storm swept the old day-mark away in August 1741.

The Tybee Island Museum is housed in a historic Endicott Period Battery, which was built as a part of Fort Screven during the Spanish-American War in 1899.

Visit the museum to learn more about the the batteries and Fort Screven's history in World War I and World War II, as well as its effect on the community of Tybee Island.