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• Collection: Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey

• Title: Point Bolivar Lighthouse, West of Loop 108 on Highway 87, Bolivar Peninsula, Port Bolivar, Galveston County, TX
• Creator(s): Historic American Buildings Survey, creator
• Related Names:
     Bailey and Debevoise
     Boyt, E V
     U.S. Lighthouse Service
     Leary, Dan , faculty sponsor
     University of Texas, School of Architecture , sponsor
     Dotter, Kara R , field team
     Garcia, Jerry , field team
     Gardner, Tracy D , field team
     Korfmacher, Kurt A , field team
     St. Clair, Kathryn A , field team
• Date Created/Published: Documentation compiled after 1933
• Medium: Measured Drawing(s): 25
• Reproduction Number: ---
• Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html)
  
• Call Number: HABS TX-3517
• Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
• Notes:
  • 2002 Charles E. Peterson Prize, Third Place
  • Significance: Point Bolivar Lighthouse is located 1/4 mile west of Loop 108 on Highway 87 in Galveston County. Built in 1872, it is one of only two cast iron beacons that still exist on the Texas Gulf Coast. Now in private hands, the lighthouse and various outbuildings occupy about two acres of land on Bolivar peninsula. It is the most prominent structure one sees coming across the three-mile pass from Galveston Island, rising 117 feet above sea level. In the 1800s, Galveston was the largest and most heavily used port in the state. Because of the city's economic significance, Galveston received some of the first navigational aids in the state. The current lighthouse is the third such structure on the site. Bailey and Debevoise of New York City won the contract with the United States Lighthouse Service to fabricate and deliver cast iron plates and a cast iron spiral stair for the structure. The tower rests on a brick foundation, and is composed of the iron skin wrapped around a brick core housing the stair. The Lighthouse Service supervised assembly of the tower including installation of the Fresnel lens. The lighthouse served as sanctuary for over 120 people during the hurricane of 1900 that devastated the city of Galveston. It later sheltered over 50 people during a similar storm in 1915. This later storm washed away all buildings except the lighthouse, necessitating construction of the current keeper's and assistant's houses, and the fuel house. Point Bolivar's light shined for about 60 years until it was extinguished in 1933. In 1947, the federal government auctioned the tower and two keeper's houses to E.V. Boyt. A radio house on the property was sold to the Boyts in 1958. The family moved it nearer to the other two main structures on the compound and converted it into guest quarters. The keeper's and assistant's houses have also been remodeled and altered considerably.
  • Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N809
  • Survey number: HABS TX-3517
  • Building/structure dates: 1872 Initial Construction
  • National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 77001445
• Subjects:
  • lighthouses
  • keeper's houses
  • guesthouses
  • wooden buildings
  • navigation
  • domestic life
  • maritime
  • Fresnel lenses
  • hurricanes
• Place:
  • Texas--Galveston County--Port Bolivar
• Latitude/Longitude: 29.36658, -94.76666
• Collections:
  • Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey
• Part of: Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)
• Bookmark This Record:
     https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/tx1010/

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• Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
• Reproduction Number: ---
• Call Number: HABS TX-3517
• Medium: Measured Drawing(s): 25

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You can download online images yourself. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

HABS/HAER/HALS materials have generally been scanned at high resolution that is suitable for most publication purposes (see Digitizing the Collection for further details about the digital images).

• Photographs--All photographs are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
• Make note of the Call Number and Item Number that appear under the photograph in the multiple-image display (e.g., HAER, NY,52-BRIG,4-2).
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• Make note of the Survey Number (e.g., HAER NY - 143) and Sheet Number (e.g., "Sheet 1 of 4"), which appear on the edge of the drawing. (NOTE: These numbers are visible in the Tiff "Reference Image" display.)
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In the rare case that a digital image for HABS/HAER/HALS documentation is not displaying online, select images for reproduction through one of these methods:

• Visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room and request to view the group (general information about service in the reading room is available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/001_ref.html). It is best to contact reference staff in advance (see: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/address.html) to make sure the material is on site. OR
• P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (many original items in the holdings are too old or fragile to make such copies, but generally HABS/HAER/HALS materials are in good enough condition to be placed on photocopy machines). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page OR
• Hire a freelance researcher to do further selection for you (a list of researchers in available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html).
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• Make note of the Call Number listed above.
• Look at the Medium field above. If it lists more than one item:
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• Call Number: HABS TX-3517
• Medium: Measured Drawing(s): 25

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

   • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.

     As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)

   • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.

2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

   • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.

   • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.

3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.