Grand Turk Lighthouse The lighthouse in around 1900 The nature of the Islands has seen many ships come to grief on the reefs. However, it was not until 1852 that a lighthouse was constructed at the northern end of Grand Turk. It was mainly at the insistence of the Americans who had many ships travelling to and from the Fresnel Lens Turks Islands, mostly trading in salt. In 1852 the Board of Trade erected the present 60 feet tower at a cost of £4 100. It was designed by Alexander Gordon and built by the Chance Brothers. It featured 8 Argand type whale oil lamps with reflectors which magnified the light to 450 times its original intensity. Gordon called it “a grand sea light” but it failed to live up to his expectations. In the first four decades of its use wrecks continued along with complaints that the light was either not lit or too dim. The Bahamian Lighthouse Inspectors carried out annual inspections but eventually the light was transferred to the British lighthouse and piloting authorities. In 1943 Chance Brothers installed a Freshnel lens and kerosene light which had a visibility at sea in excess of 15 miles. In 1971 the lens, burner and clock mechanism were removed from the lighthouse when it became electrified and these items were put into store. The government donated the lens and the clock to the Museum when it opened. The lens and clock have undergone extensive cleaning and restoration, and the lens is now on display in the Museum. Contents of this story: Turks and Caicos National Museum Nigel Sadler Printed from Turks and Caicos National Museum (http://www.tcmuseum.org). Printed On: Sunday, July 20th, 2008