Point Bolivar Lighthouse
Why it's listed
Rising 117 feet at Port Bolivar on the Texas coast, this lighthouse was built in 1872-73 by the Bureau of Lighthouses, replacing an 1852 iron tower dismantled during the Civil War. Its construction is unusual: a brick tower, 18 inches thick at the base and tapering to 12 inches at the top, is sheathed in one-inch malleable-iron plates. An iron spiral stairway leads to the lantern and balcony, and the cupola roof and railing are brass. It was first lit on November 19, 1873, and remained in service until May 29, 1933. The tower withstood the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, sheltering about 125 refugees, and in 1915 about fifty people took refuge inside while the keeper turned the lens by hand. It is one of only two remaining iron lighthouses on the Gulf Coast. After it was discontinued, the federal government sold it to a private individual, and it remains privately owned and in need of maintenance.
Significance in brief: It is one of the few nineteenth-century lighthouses remaining on the Texas Gulf Coast and an unusual example of brick-and-iron construction. It operated from 1873 to 1933 and sheltered refugees during the 1900 and 1915 hurricanes.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 77001445, listed August 18, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | TX 87, Port Bolivar |
|---|---|
| County | Galveston County |
| Listed | August 18, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77001445 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Bureau of Lighthouses |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Art, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Privately owned and maintained; needs rust prevention and replacement of broken and missing parts; dome glass broken out. Houses on each side are used as vacation cottages. Light discontinued in 1933. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 29.36682, -94.76686 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 77001445.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7207966
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.