Florida - Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse

The Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse is located at Hillsboro Inlet, FL. It's between Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, FL. Although this lighthouse was not built until 1907, it wasn't because no one had spoken for it. In fact as far back as 1851 requests were made to get a lighthouse built at Hillsboro Inlet. The Lighthouse Board decided not to build a new structure, but acquired a steel skeleton tower which had been displayed at the 1904 Great St. Louis Exposition. After the tower was  transported to Hillsboro Inlet, workers erected it alongside a trio of wood-framed houses built for the keeper and his assistants. The completed lighthouse is a 137-foot tall pyramidal structure. The lower framework was painted white and the entire upper portion black. A central spiral stairway rises 175 steps from ground level to the watch room beneath the lantern room. The lantern room was equipped with a second-order Fresnel Lens with light provided from a kerosene lamp. In 1932 the light was electrified and its strength increased from 630,000 to 5,5000,000 candlepower, making it one of the strongest beacons of light on the Atlantic Coast at the time. The head keeper's house was destroyed by a hurricane in 1947.

In 1974 the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse was automated, and the remaining keepers' quarters were later converted to vacation retreats for senior military personnel. In 1999, due to requests from local civic groups, the Coast Guard reversed a previous decision to have the Fresnel lens removed and placed in a museum. There was a historic relighting of the original second-order Fresnel lens. If you click on the picture, the lens can be better seen and appreciated.

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

Florida - Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

This lighthouse is located at Jupiter Inlet, FL. Construction started but was delayed for 2 years due to the third Seminole War. The 108-feet conical brick tower was finally completed in 1860. It rest on a bed of oyster shells at the top of a slight rise overlooking the ocean. The red tower was designed by George Meade and contains 105-steps in the spiral stairway leading up to the lantern room.  The tower is topped with its original first-order Fresnel lens and is possibly the oldest in the state of FL. If you click on the picture, the first-order Fresnel lens will be more visible inside the lantern room.

The lighthouse's  former oil storage building showcases a small museum which tells of the station's long career. Extensive renovation of the lighthouse was completed in 1999. At the time of my visit here in 2001, the Coast Guard continued to operate the Jupiter Inlet beacon, although the Florida History Center and Museum managed and cared for the rest of the station. The lighthouse was open to the public.

Florida - Fowey Rocks Lighthouse

The Fowey Rocks Lighthouse is located 6.5 miles southeast of Key Biscayne, FL. It was the fifth wrought-iron structure to be built along the treacherous shoals. This 110-feet tower sits out in the open ocean. As mentioned in my previous post, this lighthouse was built in 1878 to take the place of The Cape Florida Lighthouse. The lantern room was fitted with a first-order Fresnel lens. Construction of everything took 2-years to complete, and included a two story keepers dwelling in the lower portion of the octagonal iron skeleton tower. A spiral staircase encased in a metal tubular structure was constructed from the dwelling up to the service room under the lantern room. If you click on the picture, you may be able to see the outline of the keeper's dwelling.

The light was automated in 1972, and then in 1983 the Fresnel lens removed from active service and replaced by a beacon type light. The Fresnel lens was placed on permanent display at the U.S. Coast Guard's National Aids to Navigation School in Yorktown, VA.

At the time of my visit here in 2001, this was an active light. I took this picture using a 500mm lens with 2X coupler on the camera with tripod.

Florida - Cape Florida Lighthouse

The Cape Florida Lighthouse is located at Key Biscayne, FL. The first brick tower was built here in 1825 at a height of  65-feet. It was destroyed in 1836 during a Seminole attack. The present tower was restored in 1846 and the light soon gained a reputation as being too weak to be effective beyond the outlying shoals. In 1855, army engineer Lt George G. Meade redesigned the tower. It was elevated 20-feet and the base reinforced to strengthened it. A second-order Fresnel lens was installed, which provided a much more brilliant light. However, a more powerful light didn't prove to be the answer to the problem. In 1878 the Lighthouse Board placed a sturdy, screwpile, light on Fowey Rocks 10-miles to the south. Later that year, Cape Florida Light was turned off and the station closed. It remained dark for an entire century and fell into critical disrepair.


The Miami Dade Historical Trust secured nearly two million dollars in grants and matching funds to save the lighthouse. In 1978, the Coast Guard reestablished the light as an aid to small boaters. The light was ceremoniously relit in July 1996.

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