Horn Island Lighthouse

A series of low off-shore islands off the Mississippi Coast form Mississippi Sound, a fairly well protected waterway. This sound experienced a large increase in coastal trading after the Civil War. In addition to a rapid growth of waterborne commerce, the area became increasingly popular with the fishing fleet. The increase in vessel traffic by the 1870s triggered the Lighthouse Service to establish more aids to navigation. In 1872 the Service successfully petitioned Congress for $22,000 to construct a lighthouse on Horn Island.