Do you know what causes the malaria that plagued the workmen building Sand Island Light? If you look it up in an encyclopedia,
you’ll find that the workmen didn’t know either.
Have you seen pilings supporting a dock or pier? Can you picture 171 piles sunk in a solid circle to hold the concrete
base of this lighthouse? You can see the base of the lighthouse in this drawing. It is surrounded by stone riprap to cut the
force of water washing against it.
Sand Island Lighthouse once was on an island. Compare the the photo below to the one on the Sand Island Lighthouse website. What do you suppose happened to the island?
Are you curious to know whether a nautical mile differs from a mile on land? Where would you look to find out?
Sand Island Lighthouse in 1940. USCG photo
Lighthouse Maps
Eighth Lighthouse District
Can you find Sand Island Lighthouse on this map? What city did this lighthouse guide ships too?
Click on map to view larger image
Source: 1881 Annual Report of the U.S. Light-House Board
This Reader's Guide is intended to be used with Lighthouses Short and Tall, a book for readers 11 and up written by Mary Louise and Candace Clifford. It is available from the publisher,
Cypress Communications, by using their book order form.
