Historical Markers
A group of people standing on a dock by a lighthouse - historic lighthouses

Self-guided · city, Georgia

Historic Lighthouses in Athens-Clarke County, GA

Lighthouses and light stations on the coasts, lakes and rivers, with the history of the keepers who ran them.

Open the Georgia map · All states

Photo: Peggy Sue Zinn on Unsplash

Athens-Clarke County has a population of about 119,980. The list below comes straight from the published records, with the distance from the center of Athens-Clarke County, GA and the source for each site.

A group of people walking towards a light house - historic lighthouses
Photo: Yeji Jun on Unsplash
Two people walk towards a lighthouse on a rocky coast - historic lighthouses
Photo: Jim Tran on Unsplash
People walking near white and black lighthouse under blue and white cloudy sky during daytime - historic lighthouses
Photo: Nong on Unsplash

On the record near Athens-Clarke County, GA

The 12 nearest

12 listed sites on the record match historic lighthouses within 300 miles of Athens-Clarke County, GA, out of 66 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles.

  1. Cockspur Island Lighthouse195 miles from the center of Athens-Clarke County · Chatham County · marker erected 2011Georgia historical marker program
  2. Rear Lighthouse of Hilton Head Range Light Station196 miles from the center of Athens-Clarke County · Structure · Hilton Head Island · listed 1985National Register of Historic Places
  3. Tybee Lighthouse197 miles from the center of Athens-Clarke County · Chatham County · marker erected 1958Georgia historical marker program
  4. Hunting Island State Park Lighthouse201 miles from the center of Athens-Clarke County · Structure · Beaufort · listed 1970National Register of Historic Places
  5. Morris Island Lighthouse219 miles from the center of Athens-Clarke County · Structure · Charleston · listed 1982National Register of Historic Places
  6. Cape Romain Lighthouses238 miles from the center of Athens-Clarke County · Structure · McClellanville · listed 1981National Register of Historic Places
  7. Georgetown Lighthouse245 miles from the center of Athens-Clarke County · Structure · Georgetown · listed 1974National Register of Historic Places
  8. Green Hill Cemetery Gatekeeper's House249 miles from the center of Athens-Clarke County · Building · Greensboro · listed 1979National Register of Historic Places
  9. Amelia Island Lighthouse253 miles from the center of Athens-Clarke County · Structure · Fernandina Beach · listed 2003National Register of Historic Places
  10. St. John's Lighthouse271 miles from the center of Athens-Clarke County · Structure · Mayport · listed 1976National Register of Historic Places
  11. St. Marks Lighthouse272 miles from the center of Athens-Clarke County · Building · St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge · listed 1972National Register of Historic Places
  12. Crooked River Lighthouse296 miles from the center of Athens-Clarke County · Structure · Carrabelle · listed 1978National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Athens-Clarke County, GA. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Lighthouses in Athens-Clarke County, step by step

  1. 1

    See every listed site of this kind in the area

  2. 2

    Sort by distance and pick the closest few

  3. 3

    Read the record for the year, the builder and the use

  4. 4

    View from the public way and note what has changed

  5. 5

    Collect the set and move on to the next county

What people in Athens-Clarke County, GA ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Athens-Clarke County, GA?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are these buildings open to the public?

Some are, many are not. Churches, courthouses and libraries usually keep regular hours. Houses, barns and mills are often private and best seen from the road. The record for each site tells you which kind it is.

What does it mean when a site is on the National Register?

It means the property was documented and accepted as historically significant. Listing honors the site, it does not open it to visitors or stop an owner from using it.

How a visit works in Athens-Clarke County

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Athens-Clarke County, GA the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Athens-Clarke County, GA are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

More ways in around Athens-Clarke County, GA

People gathered on the porch of a white colonial house - historic homesHistoric HomesA group of people sitting on steps outside a historic stone church, enjoying a sunny day - historic churchesHistoric ChurchesA person standing on a stone bridge in a cemetery - historic cemeteriesHistoric CemeteriesA couple walking under a covered bridge - covered bridgesCovered BridgesSteel truss bridge over river with two people - historic bridgesHistoric BridgesTwo people sitting on a bench in front of a building - historic courthousesHistoric CourthousesPeople sitting in the Terminal Bar inside the historic Union Station in Denver - historic train depotsTrain DepotsA group of men in uniforms holding rifles - historic fortsHistoric Forts

Lighthouses near Athens-Clarke County

Lighthouses everywhere in the US · Every way in