GALVESTON NORTH JETTY LIGHTHOUSE

Location: Bolivar, Galveston County, Texas.

Take State Highway 87 North , 1.7 miles from the Bolivar ferry landing to the North Jetty Road (turn right). It is unmarked except for a large sign on the inland side of the highway. The road dead-ends into the North Jetty. From 1898 Lights and Fog Signals of the United States: “About 50 feet to the northward of the North Jetty at the entrance to Galveston Harbor, Tex., and 24,200 feet (4 miles) E ¾ S. from Bolivar Point Light House.”

Viewing: This lighthouse no longer exists, but you can take a two mile walk out onto the jetty. The North Jetty extends a total distance of five miles into the Gulf of Mexico.

Brief History: Built about 1897 when the jetty was completed and remained there for an undetermined period. The structure had a wooden oil house and enclosed workroom. It had no living quarters. Keepers from the Bolivar lighthouse routinely serviced the light. By the early 1900s it was a day beacon showing a red square on a pyramidal slated structure on piles atop a concrete block.

Construction Type & Design: Small building on piles at the end of the jetty, with light mounted on roof.

Height of Light Above Water: 41.5 feet.

Light Type: Red light, occulting every 2 seconds.