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    Florida Lighthouses
    Florida Lighthouses
    Florida Lighthouses
    Ebook140 pages21 minutes

    Florida Lighthouses

    By John Hairr

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    About this ebook

    Sporting the second-longest coastline in the United States, Florida has over 8,000 miles of sparkling beaches and waterfront property. This valuable
    landscape and the region s position between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico made Florida key in the early expansion of American trade routes, but the state s several capes and dangerous reefs, rocks, and shoals made travel quite perilous to unwary mariners. When commerce and traffic began to grow between ports on the East Coast and along the Gulf of Mexico in the nineteenth century, it became necessary to construct aids to navigation along the state s long and treacherous coast. Lighthouses were the solution. Constructed in a variety of styles and sizes, Florida s lighthouses were erected on what, at the time, were some of the most desolate regions of the southeastern United States and included lonely offshore islands. Manned and inhabited by vigilant keepers and their families, these towers illuminated the dark seas and provided the beacon that guided lost travelers. Large brick structures watched over St. Augustine, Pensacola, and Ponce de Leon Inlet; iron skeletons towered over Crooked River and Hillsboro Inlet; and screwpile lighthouses stood as sentinels in the waters off the Florida Keys.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateDec 7, 1999
    ISBN9781439610404
    Florida Lighthouses
    Author

    John Hairr

    John Hairr is an award-winning writer and historian who has written extensively about the history and lore of the southeastern United States and the Caribbean region. His writings have covered a wide range of topics, including wild rivers, shipwrecks and extinct wildlife. A member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, his work has appeared in numerous publications, including Mercator's World, South Carolina Wildlife and Fortean Times.

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      Book preview

      Florida Lighthouses - John Hairr

      115.

      INTRODUCTION

      The Florida peninsula extends south from the mainland of North America, separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico. Florida sports the second longest coastline in the United States, trailing only Alaska. Including the bays, islands, and lagoons, Florida has over 8,000 miles of coastline.

      Several capes jut out from the Florida peninsula, including Cape Canaveral, Cape Saint George, and Cape San Blas. In addition, there are numerous reefs, rocks, and shoals to snag unwary mariners trying to get around the southern end of the state. It is no wonder that over 2,000 ships have wrecked in the waters off Florida.

      As trade grew between American ports on the East Coast with ports along the Gulf of Mexico such as New Orleans, transportation in the seas off Florida increased. It became necessary to erect aids to navigation along the coast. Lighthouses were built on what, at the time, were some of the most desolate regions of the southeastern United States, including sites on lonely islands offshore. As the population of the state grew and commerce increased, lights were needed to show the way into the harbors and inlets.

      The lighthouses in the state of Florida come in a variety of styles and sizes. There are large brick structures such as those at St. Augustine, Pensacola, and Ponce de Leon Inlet. There are iron skeleton towers, such as those at Crooked River and Hillsboro Inlet. There are a number of screwpile lighthouses in the waters off the Florida Keys. There are even lights erected on the top of the lightkeeper’s dwelling, such as the lighthouse on Gasparilla Island.

      This book is a tour of these old lighthouses along the Florida coast from Amelia Island to Pensacola and includes numerous photos that date back to the nineteenth century and several to the early twentieth century.

      In this day of Global Positioning Systems and satellite navigation, many lighthouses have become obsolete. Fortunately, several organizations have sprung up to preserve these historic treasures for future generations. If you would like to learn more about these ongoing preservation efforts, contact the Florida Lighthouse Association at 4931 South Peninsula Drive, Ponce Inlet, Florida 32127.

      One

      AMELIA ISLAND TO ST. AUGUSTINE

      This postcard from the 1940s extols the virtues of Fernandina, Florida’s northernmost coastal city. (Florida State Archives.)

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