The Liberty County Historical Commission will host Amy Maxwell Chase as guest speaker Monday, July 17, 2023, at 6 p.m. in the Hartel Building, 318 San Jacinto Street in Liberty. After a short business meeting, Ms. Chase will present a program on the history of the Bolivar Point Lighthouse and efforts to restore this important part of our Texas history.
The Bolivar Point Lighthouse is one of the few 19th-century lighthouses remaining on the Gulf Coast, and one of only two remaining iron lighthouses in Texas. Built in 1872, the Bolivar Point Lighthouse was first lit Nov. 19, 1872, and operated until it was retired from service on May 29, 1933. The light shined every night during its 60 years of service except for two nights during a 1915 hurricane which destroyed the oil house.
During the deadliest natural disaster of U.S. history, the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the lighthouse withstood savage winds and safely harbored 125 refugees, many of whom had waded through waist-deep water to escape the rising storm surge that engulfed their train. They collected rain water and survived on the limited foodstuffs the keeper and his family had brought into the structure. The rest of the 85 passengers perished in the raging waters.
Fifteen years later in the hurricane of 1915, when winds reached 126 miles per hour and the lighthouse top swayed twelve inches from side to side, the structure survived. The lighthouse survived other great storms such as Alicia in 1983 and Ike in 2008. Other hazards threatened lighthouse over the years such as being accidentally shelled by artillery fire from Fort San Jacinto! In 1933, at the peak of the Great Depression, the Bolivar Point Lighthouse was declared obsolete, and its light was extinguished on May 29, 1933. Since its auction in 1947, the Point Bolivar Lighthouse has been privately owned and maintained by descendants of E.V. Boyt and his sister, Ila Maxwell.
The story of the Bolivar Point Lighthouse is one of courage, trauma, loneliness, peace, family, death, and staying power. It is a living piece of history of Bolivar, a symbol of the community and it is now in dire need of restoration!
Amy Maxwell Chase is the Executive Director of the Bolivar Point Lighthouse Foundation. Amy was raised in Liberty and Beaumont. After graduating from Kelly High School, she attended Texas A&M University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing. Afterward, Amy worked for Wal-Mart in numerous roles between Bentonville, Arkansas, and San Antonio before starting a new career with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and relocating to Austin. She had a successful career at Pfizer for 22 years where she spent to last 10 years in the Vaccine Division.
Amy has had a lifelong relationship with the Bolivar Point Lighthouse and in March 2021, felt called to take a greater role in the restoration of the iconic Texas Lighthouse. Amy was named Executive Director of the Bolivar Point Lighthouse Foundation where she is coordinating the restoration and fundraising efforts to restore the 150-year-old lighthouse.
Amy is a member of the Rotary Club of Galveston, a member of the George Washington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a Galveston Certified Tourism Ambassador and a 2022 graduate of the Chamber of Commerce Leadership Galveston.
Amy is married to her husband Peter, and they have 14-year-old twin daughters, Carly, and Chloe. In their free time, they enjoy spending time at the beach, fishing, and water-skiing. The Chase family recently moved to Galveston and are excited to be living “closer” to home on the Texas Gulf Coast.
Please join the Liberty County Historical Commission and enjoy the history of the Bolivar Point Lighthouse and plans for its restoration! The public is invited and encouraged to attend and join in the discussion. For more information contact Linda Jamison, County Chair, by emailing: lchc318@gmail.com or call 936-334-5813.
[…] Click here to read more […]