Florida’s Historic Lighthouses

An Educational Overview

Lighthouses have guided mariners through Florida’s waters for nearly two centuries. Their presence shaped the development of coastal towns, shipping routes, and naval operations. Many structures faced harsh storms, wars, and technological change, yet some still function today as active aids to navigation or preserved historical landmarks.

The Lighthouse Service and Early Federal Involvement

Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury, oversaw the nation’s lighthouse system. Many official contracts and orders bore the signatures of Hamilton, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson. Lighthouse operations played a vital role in maritime safety and the growth of U.S. trade.

The sacrifices made by lighthouse keepers and their families were significant. Many endured isolation and danger to protect lives at sea.

Excerpt from the Foreword of Great American Lighthouses

“The value of lighthouses… can never be measured… lighthouse duty was often an awful existence, lonely and boring… and dangerous in times of crises.”
—Sen. George J. Mitchell, Great American Lighthouses by F. Ross Holland, Jr.

Selected Lighthouses of Florida

American Shoal Light

  • Location: Florida Keys, 15 miles east of Key West
  • Established: 1880
  • First Lit: 1880
  • Height: 109 feet
  • Construction: Cast iron skeletal tower
  • Foundation: Iron piles with a platform
  • Lens: Third Order Fresnel
  • Characteristic: Flashing white every 15 seconds
  • Operational: Yes
  • Automated: 1963

American Shoal Light was constructed to mark the dangerous coral shoals in the Lower Florida Keys. Its skeletal iron frame is built in the traditional offshore reef lighthouse style, and it remains a striking example of 19th-century engineering. The light was automated in the 1960s and continues to function as a navigational aid.

Dog Island Lighthouse (No Longer Standing)

  • Location: Dog Island, off the coast of Carrabelle, Florida
  • Established: 1838
  • First Lit: 1839
  • Height: Originally around 40 feet
  • Construction: Brick tower
  • Foundation: Masonry
  • Lens: Unknown
  • Characteristic: Unknown
  • Operational: No
  • Automated: Not applicable

Dog Island Lighthouse was constructed to guide ships through the Apalachee Bay and into St. George Sound. It was destroyed by a hurricane in 1873 and never rebuilt. Today, no structure remains, but its location remains historically significant to Florida’s maritime navigation.

Carrabelle Lighthouse (Crooked River Light)

  • Location: Near Carrabelle, Florida
  • Established: 1895
  • First Lit: 1895
  • Height: 103 feet
  • Construction: Iron skeletal tower
  • Foundation: Iron piles
  • Lens: Fourth Order Fresnel
  • Characteristic: Fixed white
  • Operational: No
  • Automated: 1952

Known as the Crooked River Light, this lighthouse replaced the Dog Island Light and guided vessels through the Carrabelle and Apalachicola region. Decommissioned in 1995, the structure was later restored and reopened to the public as a historical exhibit and observation tower.

Garden Key Lighthouse (Dry Tortugas)

  • Location: Garden Key, Dry Tortugas National Park
  • Established: 1825
  • First Lit: 1826
  • Height: 70 feet
  • Construction: Brick tower
  • Foundation: Masonry
  • Lens: Originally Argand lamps; later updated
  • Characteristic: Unknown
  • Operational: No
  • Automated: Not applicable

This lighthouse was part of Fort Jefferson on Garden Key and served to aid navigation through the Dry Tortugas. Due to advancements in navigation and the construction of Loggerhead Key Light, Garden Key Lighthouse was eventually deactivated. The structure remains as part of the historic Fort Jefferson site.

Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse

  • Location: North side of Hillsboro Inlet, Florida
  • Established: 1907
  • First Lit: 1907
  • Height: Not documented
  • Construction: Iron skeletal with a cylinder
  • Foundation: Iron piling
  • Lens: Second Order Bivalve Fresnel
  • Characteristic: Not specified
  • Operational: Yes
  • Automated: 1974

This octagonal lighthouse, painted white at the base and black above, continues to serve the inlet and surrounding areas.

Sanibel Island Light

  • Location: Point Ybel, Sanibel Island, Florida
  • Established: 1884
  • First Lit: 1885
  • Height: 98 feet
  • Construction: Square, pyramidal, iron skeleton framework
  • Foundation: Iron pile
  • Lens: Third Order Fresnel
  • Characteristic: Fixed white with a flash every 2 minutes
  • Operational: Yes
  • Automated: 1949

Notable for its design and placement, this lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and has seen many upgrades over the years.

St. Joseph Point Lighthouse

  • Location: Originally Port St. Joe / St. Joseph Bay, Florida
  • Established: 1902
  • First Lit: 1902
  • Height: 41 feet (second tower)
  • Construction: Wood frame (original), later steel skeleton
  • Foundation: Not documented
  • Lens: Not documented
  • Characteristic: Not specified
  • Operational: No
  • Automated: Replaced by a steel tower in 1960

This lighthouse was moved several times, even used as a barn, and eventually restored as a private residence. It is no longer open to the public.

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

  • Location: Junction of Loxahatchee and Indian Rivers, Florida
  • Established: 1860
  • First Lit: 1860
  • Height: 146 feet
  • Construction: Red brick
  • Foundation: Oyster shells
  • Lens: First Order Fresnel
  • Characteristic: Fixed white with white flash every 90 seconds
  • Operational: Yes
  • Automated: 1928

This lighthouse endured war, hurricanes, and earthquakes. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and remains active.

Alligator Reef Lighthouse

  • Location: Near Matecumbe Key, 4 miles east of Indian Key
  • Established: 1873
  • First Lit: 1873
  • Height: 136 feet
  • Construction: Iron skeletal structure
  • Foundation: Iron pile with platform
  • Lens: First Order Bivalve Fresnel
  • Characteristic: Flashing white and red; every third flash is red
  • Operational: Yes
  • Automated: 1963

Named after the U.S. Navy schooner Alligator, which sank nearby in 1822, this tower remains a functional aid in the Florida Keys.

Charlotte Harbor Light

  • Location: Charlotte Harbor, Florida
  • Established: 1890
  • First Lit: 1890
  • Height: Not documented
  • Construction: Wooden
  • Foundation: Iron pilings
  • Lens: Unknown
  • Characteristic: Unknown
  • Operational: No
  • Automated: 1918

The Charlotte Harbor Light followed the same design as the Gasparilla Island Light. Deactivated in 1943, the light has since been destroyed.

Fowey Rocks Lighthouse

  • Location: Off Cape Florida in Biscayne National Park
  • Established: 1878
  • First Lit: 1878
  • Height: Not documented
  • Construction: Cast iron skeletal structure
  • Foundation: Iron piles
  • Lens: Fresnel lens (replaced by flash tube array lamps in 1982)
  • Characteristic: White flashing
  • Operational: Yes
  • Automated: 1974

This lighthouse replaced the Cape Florida Light and remains operational. It was solarized in 1982, modernized, and remains an important aid to navigation.

Cape St. George Lighthouse

  • Location: St. George Island, Florida
  • Established: 1833
  • First Lit: 1852
  • Height: Not documented
  • Construction: Brick
  • Foundation: Masonry
  • Lens: Unknown
  • Characteristic: Fixed white (historical)
  • Operational: No
  • Automated: 1949

This lighthouse suffered repeated storm damage. A replica was completed in 2009 using original designs, and now operates as a museum beacon.

Ponce de León Inlet Lighthouse

  • Location: South of Daytona Beach, Florida
  • Established: 1835
  • First Lit: 1887
  • Height: 175 feet
  • Construction: Brick
  • Foundation: Brick
  • Lens: First Order Fresnel
  • Characteristic: White flash
  • Operational: Yes
  • Automated: 1953

This well-known lighthouse has weathered hurricanes, Seminole attacks, and abandonment. It now serves as a museum and was restored to active service in 1982.

Rebecca Shoals Light

  • Location: Western Florida Keys
  • Established: 1886
  • First Lit: 1886
  • Height: Not documented
  • Construction: Skeletal tower
  • Foundation: Iron piles (replaced in 1985)
  • Lens: Unknown (original lens moved to private lighthouse)
  • Characteristic: Flash every 6 seconds
  • Operational: Yes (automated beacon)
  • Automated: 1925

The first attempt at construction began in 1854, but storms caused delays. The current beacon is automated, and the historic lantern survives at a private location.

Anclote Keys Light

  • Location: Anclote Key, north of Palm Harbor, Florida
  • Established: 1887
  • First Lit: 1887
  • Height: 110 feet
  • Construction: Cast iron skeletal structure with central cylinder
  • Foundation: Pilings
  • Lens: Third Order Fresnel
  • Characteristic: Originally, four grouped white flashes every 30 seconds; later, one red flash every 30 seconds
  • Operational: No
  • Automated: N/A

Located on a remote island, the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1984 due to modern navigation technology. It remains accessible only by boat.

Loggerhead Key Lighthouse

  • Location: Loggerhead Key, Dry Tortugas, Florida
  • Established: 1858
  • First Lit: 1858
  • Height: 150 feet
  • Construction: Masonry
  • Foundation: Brick
  • Lens: Unknown
  • Characteristic: Not specified
  • Operational: Yes
  • Automated: 1988

The tallest lighthouse in the Dry Tortugas, it withstood multiple hurricanes and remains an active aid to navigation. It is not open to the public.

Sombrero Key Lighthouse

  • Location: Sombrero Reef, near Marathon, Florida
  • Established: 1858
  • First Lit: March 17, 1858
  • Height: 142 feet
  • Construction: Iron skeletal structure
  • Foundation: Wrought-iron piles on cast-iron disks
  • Lens: Fresnel (12-inch light)
  • Characteristic: Group flashing white; red sectors visible 18 miles
  • Operational: Yes
  • Automated: N/A

Designed by George G. Meade, this offshore lighthouse stands in shallow waters and has a pyramidal frame with a dwelling in the second tier.

Carysfort Reef Lighthouse

Location: Carysfort Reef, near Key Largo, Florida
Established: 1825
First Lit: 1852
Height: 100 feet
Construction: Iron skeletal octagonal pyramidal
Foundation: Iron screw-pile
Lens: First Order Henry Lepaute Revolving Fresnel
Characteristic: 3 flashes (0.7s) with eclipses between, red and white sectors
Operational: Yes
Automated: 1960

The first of Florida’s large screw-pile lighthouses, it served as a key navigational aid in the Florida Keys. It remains in use today.

Facts of Interest

  1. First lighthouse in the United States: Boston, Massachusetts (1716)
  2. First lighthouse to use electricity: Statue of Liberty (1886)
  3. Newest shore-based lighthouse: Charleston, South Carolina (1962)
  4. Only triangular-shaped lighthouse tower: Charleston, South Carolina (1962)
  5. Only lighthouse equipped with an elevator: Charleston, South Carolina (1962)
  6. Many lightkeepers were women: Female lightkeepers played a vital role, especially during wartime or when male keepers were unavailable
  7. Male lightkeepers wore uniforms. These were regulated by the U.S. Lighthouse Service to maintain discipline and order

Summary

While modern navigation tools like the Global Positioning System (GPS) have transformed maritime travel, lighthouses continue to serve as symbolic and practical aids to mariners. Beyond their functional role, these historic structures remain enduring landmarks, offering reassurance at sea and preserving the legacy of coastal navigation. Their presence reflects a rich maritime heritage that continues to inspire and educate future generations.