The Sanibel Lighthouse with its new permanent leg!
A symbol of hope for so many after Hurricane Ian, the Sanibel Lighthouse has just received a new cast iron leg and is standing strong once again.
When Hurricane Ian left its catastrophic impact on the island sixteen months ago, rumors swirled that Ian’s surge took out the lighthouse. As the sun came up the next day, islanders were relieved to find that the 138-year-old lighthouse had survived, but had been battered so fericiously that it was missing a leg and its two caretaker cottages had washed out to sea.
The lighthouse became a sign of hope — and a symbol of the island’s resilience — to the hundreds of residents and business owners determined to remain #SanibelStrong.
A tremendous amount of work was done to preserve the 98-foot-tall historical landmark and its foundation. A temporary wooden leg was installed six weeks post-Ian, and the lightouse was ceremoniously relit five months after the storm.
This week, a permanent leg was finally installed to the structure that means so much to so many. Soon, the lighthouse will be painted and a beach renourishment program will improve the eroded shoreline.
Shine on, Sanibel!
So very happy to see the light house repaired. A beautiful site on Sanibel
Oh how glorious!! She stands on all her legs again and looking even better for the world to see. Sanibel strong. It will be wonderful to stroll the beach here to look for those beautiful Wentletrap shells again and to watch the gentle waves rolling.
Thank you everyone for your hard work at bringing you blog back. So many of us are so excited and can’t wait for your reservations to start back up. My family has found no other place like O.R. where we can feel comfortable.
THANK YOU to all who helped bring “light” back onto our beautiful Island. I remember as a child (1970) visiting for the first time and seeing the lighthouse for the first time….first lighthouse I ever saw. She is a beacon of light and of hope to you all.
Hope to see you soon.