When I saw this lighthouse in a Google Maps exploration, I was surprised to find out I hadn't featured it before in my Lighthouse of the Week posts. When I checked the Lighthouse Directory, I then discovered it has one of the longest entries for a lighthouse that I had ever seen. And then went image searching, I learned that there are several websites about it too, a few of which I'll feature after the main information.
As is my custom, the first thing I'll do is provide the location; basically south of Jacksonville, Florida.
Now, just some of the information from the Lighthouse Directory:
"1874 (Paul J. Pelz, architect). Station established 1823. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 161 ft (49 m); continuous white light with a more intense flash every 30 s. 165 ft (50 m) round brick tower painted in a black-and-white spiral similar to Cape Hatteras Light; lantern painted red; original rotating 1st order Fresnel lens. Sibling of Bodie Island, North Carolina. 2-story brick and wood Victorian keeper's house (rebuilt after being gutted by fire in 1970). ... The present light station has been meticulously restored to its 1888 appearance. ... In 2002 the lighthouse was one of the first to be transferred under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. During Hurricane Frances in 2004 museum operations director Rick Cain valiantly kept the light on. In 2008-09 the exterior of the lantern was restored and its windows were replaced. In 2014 the museum paid $150,000 to purchase the keeper's house and the rest of the light station property, which had been leased previously from St. Johns County. In 2014-15 the lens and its rotating mechanism were cleaned and restored in place. In April 2015 the museum launched a crowdfunding campaign and sold T-shirts to complete the $280,000 needed for repainting and repairs to the tower. In 2016 work began to restore two Coast Guard buildings, a garage and a barracks, for expansion of exhibits on the station's history during World War II. This project was completed in 2018. In September 2017 the Maritime Archaeology and Education Center opened in new buildings on the light station grounds. The tower was repainted inside and out in 2021."
The websites (just a few):
St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum (Visit St. Augustine)
St. Augustine, Lighthouse (Lighthouse Friends)
St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum (Official Website)
Visit St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum (The Club Continental)
Pictures and a video finish this post.
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