This lighthouse is located at Key West, FL. The original tower, built in 1826, was built on Whitehead Point and was the island's first lighthouse. It predates the city which later grew up around it, making it Florida's most "urban" lighthouse. Its purpose was to help ships find their way through the perilously narrow strait between the Gulf Stream and Florida Reef. So critical was it to navigation that it was quickly rebuilt after a massive hurricane brought it down in 1846. A temporary beacon mounted atop a wooden tripod replaced the fallen sentinel until another lighthouse was erected in 1848. The new tower, a 65-foot brick structure, was located on higher ground 1200-feet inland. However, as taller buildings went up in Key West, it became difficult for mariners to distinguish the lighthouse's beacon. So, in 1893 the tower's height was increased by 20-feet. The light was automated in 1915 and the Coast Guard discontinued the light in 1969.
The Federal Government transferred ownership of the station to Monroe County, which leases it to the Key West Art and Historical Society. They restored and were maintaining the lighthouse at the time of my visit here in 2001. The light was active. Eighty-eight spiral stairs lead to the watch room where visitors can step out for the best view of Key West.
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