lens had been damaged, resulting in a "dark angle", and was replaced in 1899. A tropical storm damaged the tower and the other buildings in 1878. The power source was converted to mineral oil in 1882, and to incandescent oil vapor in 1913. The light was automated in 1949. In 1994 the Coast Guard removed the light from the lantern room and decommissioned the lighthouse. In 1995 Hurricane Opal washed away much of the sand around the tower, shifted it partially off its pilings and rotated it, leaving it leaning about 10° from vertical. In 1998 the tower was further damaged by Hurricane Georges. Supporters raised $50,000 locally and $160,000 from the state to correct the tilt. The tower was righted and a new foundation built under it in 2002. However, the base was still exposed to surf, and the new foundation began deteriorating. The tower collapsed on October 22, 2005. Reconstruction Island volunteers formed the St. George Light Association to reconstruct the lighthouse on a more protected site. A salvage company retrieved 24,000 of the structure's 160,000 bricks from the water, and volunteers cleaned them. The Association won grants of $525,000 from federal and state sources, and rebuilt the lighthouse in a county park in the middle of St. George Island. Local contractors provided construction services at reduced rates. The salvaged bricks were used in the interior lining of the conical tower. In April 2008, the restored lantern room was placed on top. The completed reconstruction was opened to the public on November 29. Head keepers John W. Smith (1834) Allen Smith (1834–1835) John Garrison (1835) Willis Nichols (1835–1841) Saunders J. Nichols (1841) Samuel Parker (1841–1842) David Adkins (1842–1846) William McKeon (1846–1848) Francis Lee (1848–1849) William H. Taylor (1849–1850) William Austin (1850–1854) Braddock Williams (1854–1861) James Reilly (1866–1867) Joseph Lucroft (1867–1868) Braddock Williams (1868–1874) Arad L. Williams (1874–1875) James A. Williams (1875–1893) Edward G. Porter (1893–1913) John F. Reese (1913–1917) David D. Silva (1917–1921) Walter A. Roberts, Jr. (1921) Clairmon Brooks (1921–1925) David D. Silva (1925–1932) Walter Andrew Roberts, Jr. (1932–1938) Thorton K. Cooper (1938–1939) Sullivan R. White (1939–1946) Gallery See also List of lighthouses in Florida List of lighthouses in the United States Notes References McCarthy, Kevin M. (1990). Florida Lighthouses, Paintings by William L. Trotter, Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida Press. . National Park Service Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Florida Lighthouses - retrieved February 5,