GALVESTON, Texas – On Veterans Day, Nov. 12,
Galveston College and Galveston Island will celebrate
the 100th anniversary of the lighting of the lamp
at the Galveston Jetty Lighthouse at what was at the
time the busiest port on the Gulf Coast and second
busiest port in the country.
On Nov. 12, 1918, one day after the Armistice of
Nov. 11, 1918, and after 14 years of on-and-off construction,
the lamp was lit for the first time at the
Galveston (South) Jetty Lighthouse with George W.
Bardwell serving as the first head keeper.
A violent storm ravaged the lighthouse on May 2,
2000, and the iron pilings, weakened by years of rust,
gave way, causing the lighthouse to fall into the water.
In 2001, the Galveston Community College District
Board of Regents met in a retreat and adopted the
vision statement: “A Beacon of Light Guiding Lifelong
Learning.”
Regent John L. Sullivan convinced the board that
the college needed a symbol at the entrance of the
college at 39th and Avenue Q. Regent Sullivan knew
that the actual South Jetty Lighthouse cupola was
rusting away in Sonny Broome’s welding yard, having
been placed there after being salvaged by George P.
Mitchell’s company.
In 2003, the U.S. Coast Guard granted a loan of
the cupola to Galveston College, and John and Cindy
Sullivan provided a donation of over $20,000 to have
Sonny Broome restore it.
Architects were hired to design an area known as
Beacon Square that would feature a replica of the
South Jetty Lighthouse that used to stand on Galveston
Island’s east end.
In November 2006, a public ceremony that included
the U. S. Coast Guard color guard dedicated Beacon
Square and the lighthouse replica, complete with
the restored lighthouse cupola. Subsequent improvements
allowed a fundraising engraved brick project to
surround the lighthouse with nine oak trees available
with naming rights.
The Beacon Square lighthouse now stands as a
beautiful focal point at 39th Street and Avenue Q and
a landmark for the Galveston College campus.
The college will celebrate the 100th anniversary of
the lighting of the beacon on Veterans Day, Nov. 12,
with a community celebration and glow party titled
“Light Up the Night.” The event will include a veterans’
resource fair, glow party fun and children’s crafts and
games, music, food and talks on the history of the
lighthouse and beacon.
All events are free and open to the public. A complete
schedule follows:
Schedule of Events
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Veterans Community Resource
Fair, Mary Moody Northen Center Atrium
2 p.m. – 100th Anniversary of the Lighting of the
Beacon and Veterans Day Celebration, Abe and Annie
Seibel Wing Lawn
•Veterans Day Wreath Ceremony hosted by Student
Veterans Association
•History of Galveston Jetty Lighthouse featuring
Kevin Kinney, Archivist, Galveston and Texas History
Center, Rosenberg Library
•A Beacon of Light Guiding Lifelong Learning:
Galveston College Beacon Square featuring Joe Huff,
Director of Public Affairs (Retired), Galveston College
•A display featuring historical information on the
Galveston Jetty Lighthouse, Seibel Wing Lobby
• 3-5 p.m. – Kids’ Zone – Abe and Annie Seibel Wing
Lawn
•Games
•Bounce Houses
•Glow-in-the-Dark Crafts with the Artis Crafting
Club and Spark Poetry and Writing Club
5-7 p.m. – Light Up the Night Glow Party – Abe and
Annie Seibel Wing Lawn
•Music by DJ Roland Martinez
•Refreshments
•Glow Fun
In the event of inclement weather, outdoor events
will be moved into the Hermes Fitness Center Gym.
For more information, contact Carol Langston in the
Galveston College Public Affairs office at clangston@
gc.edu.
