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.
2 comments:
Looka like a classic!
Hi Richard; Yes, it is easier on the eye than some I've seen and posted here on my blog.
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