Saint Augustine Lighthouse

The historic St. Augustine Lighthouse towers above nearby Anastasia Island. The 165 foot structure began operation in 1874. It is the second lighthouse to occupy the island. The first, a 73 foot brick tower and built slightly to the east, began operation in 1824. The original lighthouse was part of the old Coquina Watchtower built by the Spanish in 1683. When Florida became a United States Territory in 1821, the Territorial Council requested funds to convert the watchtower to a lighthouse. It opened three years later as Florida's first lighthouse.

The lightkeepers home - which now serves as the Maritime Museum.

Nearly three decades and one Civil War later, the original lighthouse was in danger of falling into the Atlantic. In 1871, construction began on the current tower which is constructed of brick and sits on a concrete foundation. By 1880, both the coquina keeper's house and former lighthouse had fallen into the ocean. The lighthouse served as a lookout in three wars, the Spanish-American, World War I, and World War II. The lighthouse has two sisters: Currituck and Bodie Island. Both in North Carolina, they are built of the same design, only the paint schemes are different.

The dizzying staircase of the St. Augustine Lighthouse

Entrance to the lighthouse is $12.95 per adult ($10.95 for seniors and children under 12). Admission includes a self guided tour of the lightkeeper's home and the opportunity to climb to the top of the lighthouse. There are also special ghost and sunset tours available at a higher price.

St. Augustine as seen from the top of the lighthouse

All photos taken by post author - October 19, 2011.

Sources & Links:

St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum
St. Augustine Lighthouse ---Lighthousefriends.com

How To Get There:

Comments

The Tale of Tollhouse Road, western California State Route 168 and failed Piute Pass Highway

Western California State Route 168 is entirely located in Fresno County and is linked historically to the Tollhouse Road corridor. Tollhouse Road is one of the oldest highways in the Sierra Nevada range of Fresno County. The corridor presently begins in at Clovis Avenue in downtown Clovis and extends northeast to Huntington Lake. In 1866 the Woods Brothers established mining claims on Pine Ridge. In 1867 Fresno County would grant the brothers a toll franchise to construct a roadway to the desirable logging areas atop Pine Ridge and near Dinkey Creek. The Woods would establish a tollhouse at the start of their franchise road and lumber mill. The lumber mill attracted settlers which led to the establishment of the mountain town of Tollhouse. Fresno County would purchase the Tollhouse Road in 1878 and make it a public highway. The county would remove the tolls and incorporate the corridor into the existing county road network. Prior to the establishment of Clovis in 1...

Old Dunlap Road (former California State Route 180 in Yokuts Valley)

When California State Route 180 was commissioned in August 1934 the alignment in took in Sierra Nevada range was very different than from today. The original highway alignment from Squaw Valley (now Yokuts Valley) to east Grant Grove (then part of General Grant National Park) originally followed what is now Ruth Hill Road, Dunlap Road, Pinehurst Road (modern California State Route 245), Dark Canyon Road (partially now Forest Road 14S45). After funding fell through for the planned Kings Canyon Road the was corridor eventually picked up as a 30-mile-long cooperative project between the Division of Highways and Federal Government. Much of current alignment of California State Route 180 bypassing Squaw Valley (now Yokuts Valley) and Dunlap was complete by 1941. The post-1941 alignment of California State Route 180 in Squaw Valley was shifted onto what was once Dunlap Road in Squaw Valley. This alignment itself was later bypassed by modern California State Route...

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve - Thurmond

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is best known for whitewater rafting and other forms of adventure tourism. Yet, found in the hollows and isolated valleys are quiet farms and former coal mining towns. Well off the beaten path and isolated from much of its surroundings, Thurmond provides a unique view into Central West Virginia's industrial past. Thurmond began as a railroad town in the late 1800s. Sparked by the arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad and the local coal industry, Thurmond quickly grew into a sizeable transportation and coal center. When it incorporated as a town in 1903, Thurmond was a full-fledged community - home to two banks, two hotels, and many other services and stores. A CSX freight train passes the old coaling tower in Thurmond. It was here that many steam locomotives would refill and refuel. Thurmond was home to a C&O railyard which serviced the numerous steam engines passing through the narrow valley. Thu...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog