Pictured at the Cape St. George Light are, from left, Terry Kemp of SGLA; Jaci Turner, Program Director (front); Liz Ford, RILPS historian and volunteer (rear); Kay Kell, Pascagoula City Manager; David Tudlock, RILPS volunteer; Harry Schmidt, Pascagoula Community Development Director; Dennis Barnell of SGLA; and Joey Duggan, Compton Engineering.

 The sense of deja vu was overwhelming when a team from the Round Island Lighthouse in Pascagoula, Mississippi, visited the Cape St. George Light on February 17, 2010.

Several Pascagoula city officials, an engineer, and two volunteers drove six hours from the coastal Mississippi city to talk with members of the St. George Lighthouse Association about the reconstruction of their lighthouse, which bears an eerie similarity to our own story.

The Round Island Lighthouse, located near the mouth of the Pascagoula River, was first built in 1833 (sound familiar?), came down in 1855, was rebuilt in 1859 and damaged by a hurricane in 1860, then was extinguished during the Civil War (sound familiar?).

In 1998 Hurricane Georges eroded sand from the foundation of the lighthouse, caused it to lean (sound familiar?), then collapse. The lantern room was found in the sand, and volunteers salvaged bricks and other remnants from the site (sound familiar?).

Reconstruction was underway when Hurricane Katrina hit in August of 2005, and destroyed what had been rebuilt and then some. A 10-12 foot tall section of the base is what remains intact. That same storm destroyed the homes of many of the folks who visited with us at Cape St. George yesterday.

The Round Island Lighthouse Preservation Society changed their strategy, and in 2008 received approval from the Pascagoula City Council to rebuild the lighthouse on safer ground (sound familiar?). Their first step is to move the remaining base section by crane to the new site. They expect that to happen soon.

SGLA President Dennis Barnell, Secretary Terry Kemp, Executive Director Elaine Rosenthal, and Commissioner Pinki Jackel shared our experiences with this group who are embarking on the same journey that we recently completed. Commissioner Jackel summed up the feelings of us all when she told the group to stand by their "beacon of hope."

The Pascagoula team asked about reconstruction techniques, volunteer recruitment, fundraising, and promoting community awareness. We were proud to tell them our story, and take them to the top of our lighthouse. We will anxiously await the day when we can likewise visit Pascagoula and climb to the top of the Round Island Lighthouse.

For more information about the Round Island Lighthouse, visit www.roundislandlighthouse.org. Please support their efforts!