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Texas residents gathered around the state's last public lighthouse on Friday to see it illuminated for the first time in over 100 years. KERA News reported that no living person has ever seen the lighthouse's beacon shine before.
The last time the lighthouse was illuminated was in 1905, which was 117 years ago.
Port Isabel's mayor Martin Cantu Jr. told visitors before the lighthouse's newly-installed lens was turned on, "This truly is the beacon of Port Isabel."
The crowd cheered as the light was turned on. Cars driving onto the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway honked their horns as they passed.
Valerie Bates, marketing director for the City of Port Isabel and the lighthouse's site keeper, said, "I know it was a singular event, but I think it gives people another reason to visit the lighthouse."
The lighthouse once helped ships carrying supplies through the Brazos Santiago pass, which is the channel of water between South Padre Island and Brownsville's Boca Chica beach. A new rail line with faster connections caused the lighthouse to be decommissioned in 1905.
Now, it is estimated that more than 50,000 people visit the lighthouse every year. It's still unclear how frequent the new lens will be lit and it won't rotate regularly.