The body of water known as Sabine Lake is actually a bay on the Gulf coast of Louisiana and Texas, about 90 miles east of Houston. Funds were first appropriated for a lighthouse at Sabine Pass, an outlet of the bay into the Gulf of Mexico, in 1849, but the project was shelved for a few years. It was first lighted in 1856. The appearance of the tower is unique, with eight buttresses supporting it near its base.

Sabine Pass Lighthouse, Louisiana. USLHS photo.

A marsh fire destroyed the keeper’s house and other buildings in September 1976, leaving just the lighthouse and an oil house standing. The property passed through several hands, and in 2001 it came into the possession of the nonprofit Cameron Preservation Alliance. The organization is working toward a full restoration of the lighthouse.

Andrew Tingler

Andrew Tingler is the president of the Cameron Preservation Alliance. He’s also a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. He started his career in Duluth, Minnesota, but grew up near the Sabine Pass Lighthouse.

Andrew Tingler working on the repointing of Sabine Pass Lighthouse