One place on U.S. Hwy. 90 not far from the beach-front casinos worth visiting if time permits. The other is a boat trip to Ship Island (if still operating this time of year) to see a well preserved Civil War fort. Below is a story I sold a year or so ago.

Biloxi Lighthouse --The crown jewel houses a crystal lamp that once was a beacon to guide sailors out of harms way and provided a glowing night light for all those who passed this majestic lady. The structure now stands as an ambassador to all who visit the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

By A. J. Giametta
Special to The Courier-Times—Telegraph
BILOXI, Miss. – Perhaps one of the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s most prominent ladies of the night plying her trade for over a century and a half woefully attracting and then luring sailors to her shores is back.
With her weathered, cracked and blustery facade eloquently restored to her 1800s birth, she again stands tall welcoming all visitors passing her way -- making acquaintances and fans that see her for the first time.
She is the Biloxi Lighthouse, the most photographed darling that stands in the middle of U.S. Highway 90, and overlooks the Mississippi coastline that has seen its share of devastating hurricanes known to mankind.
The lighthouse built in 1848 has been a towering giant landmark rallying point for all the residents who have watched this proud lady do her job rescuing those lost at sea during foggy conditions, high winds and the occasional squalls that strike frequently from the sometimes turbulent Gulf Of Mexico.
Even Hurricanes Camille and Katrina, two of the most devastating storms to ravish the Mississippi coastline couldn’t land a knockout punch to this cast iron structure that has become a symbol of the resident’s fight-back attitude that is exemplified by
the coast’s willingness to start over when catastrophic events strike.
After the latest bout with Katrina in 2005, residents were assured everything was going to be okay again because the long-standing guardian was still in place despite everything surrounding her was either gone or partially damaged. And, an array of debris was stacked like cordwood at her base, this symbol of hope was tattered, she was bent, but she didn’t break.

HISTORICAL PRESPECTIVE
The lighthouse was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1847, and constructed for $6,000-plus, half of what the solons said could be spent to build the navigational aid along the mid-point coastal state. The cylinder-like tower housed oil lamps in those days, 20 years before the U.S. Civil War began. She added a crystal lens that’s in place today.
Her service was unrivaled until more modern devices were invented that eventually led to the lighthouse’s demise as a front-line navigational instrument. That period began when a cable was laid from the coastline to one of the barrier islands referred to as Ship Island, where electricity and oil lamps began shining their beams to safely bring sailors home and help ships in the night find their way.
The Ship Island lighthouse was 11 miles from the coastline, but the new technology minimized Biloxi Lighthouse’s future role.
After being refurbished many times over the years, the once proud lady was declared in 1969 to be surplus U.S. property and deeded to the City of Biloxi, but tragedy again reared its ugly head when Hurricane Camille slammed the Mississippi Gulf Coast the same year, and left destruction from Bay St. Louis to Ocean Springs.
In the storm’s wake was a broken and battered landmark that no one thought would ever offer service again. The keepers’ house was totally destroyed and the tower in bad shape.

CITY’S AMBASSADOR
With the City of Biloxi the sole owner, the lighthouse offered minimal service as a life-keeper, but played a big role as being the welcoming sight as the city’s ambassador to everyone who came that way. But, Hurricane Katrina’s furry in 2005 knocked the light out again, but few thought it would be the last chapter written for this historical landmark.
Because of its natural inspiration to an entire region, the people went about the business of making Biloxi Lighthouse survive another tragedy that took lives and left many hundreds homeless.
In March 2010, the city reopened the lighthouse to public tours after a 14-month, $400,000 restoration that made the sleek, white-colored tower fully accessible for visitors to actually ascend her narrow stairway to reach the domed-top structure.
Today, three public tours are offered Monday through Saturday every 15 minutes from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. with a minimal fee of $5 per adult and $2 for students who meet the minimum height requirement.
A spacious parking lot and pristine sandy beach rich with all sorts of seashells offers a glimpse at the many gulls, terns and shorebirds that frequent the coast. Down the beach and across the four-lane highway is the fully-restored Beauvoir, home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis that’s operated by the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Beauvoir suffered a severe tidal surge during Hurricane Katrina and was left in shambles. Residents and concerned citizens fought hard to reclaim every piece of lumber and what artifacts that could be found. Reconstruction moved at a fast pace, but some areas of the historical site are unavailable. The facility offers a plethora of Civil War memorabilia and artifacts.
A Jefferson Davis presidential library building and museum are under construction on the site.
With the Biloxi Lighthouse’s façade new and shiny, the historic landmark continues to beckon visitors and a tour inside tells the story of this national registry structure that records volumes of the people’s will against all odds to survive nature’s furry and flourish as time marches into the future.