Florida - Cape Canaveral Lighthouse

The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is located on the NASA Space Center property at Cape Canaveral, FL. Its tower stands 134-feet tall and the lantern room was originally fitted with a first-order Fresnel lens. This lighthouse was built in 1868 and is made of metal plates lined with brick.

The original Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, built in 1848, was located about a mile from the one pictured above. That lighthouse was made of brick and stood 65-feet tall. Its light was provided by a series of lamps and reflectors. Years later officials determined the lighthouse was not tall enough and did not provide adequate navigational aid to mariners.

In 1868 this new lighthouse, one above, was built close by the original. After several years, due to erosion by the ocean, officials feared the newer lighthouse would eventually be destroyed. So, it was moved to its current location (pictured above) in 1894. The lighthouse was automated in 1967. The first-order Fresnel lens was removed in 1993 due to being damaged by the vibration from rockets launching. The lens was replaced by a beacon.

At the time of my visit here in 2001 this was an active light.

Florida - Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse

The Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse is located at Ponce Inlet, approximately 10 miles south of Daytona Beach, FL. It was built in 1887 and stands 175-feet tall. It is constructed of brick and is the tallest lighthouse in FL, and one of the tallest in the United States. Its foundation extends 12-feet below ground level. The lantern room originally housed a first-order Fresnel lens until it was replaced in 1933 by a third-order lens. Years later that lens was replaced by a modern type beacon. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1970, then in 1982 the light was re-activated.

At the time of my visit here in 2001, the light was active and the lighthouse was open daily to the public.

Florida - Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum

This lighthouse Museum is located on Gasparilla Island, FL. It was built in 1890 by the U.S. Lighthouse Service to mark the entrance into Charlotte Harbor from the Gulf of Mexico. The historic Boca Grande Lighthouse is the oldest building on Gasparilla Island and is its most recognized landmark. It is not only a working U.S. Coast Guard Light, it is also a museum of local history open to the public.

Lighthouse keepers and their families lived and worked in the lighthouse, and in an adjacent assistant lightkeeper's house from 1890 until 1951. The U.S. Coast Guard automated the light in 1956. Ten years later, in 1966, the Coast Guard removed the light from the building which was deteriorating due to neglect and beach erosion. In 1972 Lee County took over ownership of the lighthouse and surrounding 13 acres, and began a long process to save the old building.

The lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Then in 1985-86 the island property owner's association, the Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association, funded total restoration of the lighthouse with help from the State of Florida and local citizens. The lighthouse was re-commissioned in 1986 as a working Coast Guard light. In 1988 the lighthouse and surrounding acreage were transferred from Lee County to the State of Florida and became Gasparilla Island State Recreation Area.

In 1989 a small group of local citizens formed the Barrier Island Parks Society, a non-profit, all volunteer citizen support organization for the state park. Ten years later the building was opened to the public as the Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum.

At the time of my visit here in 2001, this was an active light.