st.augustinelighthouse

St. Augustine Lighthouse

St. Augustine was the site of the first lighthouse established in Florida by the new, territorial, American Government in 1824. According to some archival records and maps, this "official" American lighthouse tower, was placed on the site of an earlier watchtower built by the Spanish as early as the late 16th century. The present tower was built in 1874.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse rises 165 feet above sea level and contains 219 steps. At the top, a first order Fresnel lens serves the beacon. The St. Augustine lens consists of 370 hand-cut glass prisms arranged in a beehive shape towering twelve feet tall and six feet in diameter.

Though damaged by vandals, the lens has been restored and is great to see.

For more about this type of lens see: http://www.michiganlights.com/fresnel.htm

Each lighthouse has a distinctive color pattern and light pattern to help ships identify them and thus determine their location.

A fantastic sight both from the top as well as the bottom. Alot of interesting local history and well worth a stop if you get this way.

For more history on this lighthouse see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine_Light

The differance between a 'Lighthouse' and a Lightstation' is that a lighthouse is occupied and has a 'house' for its keeper(s). A lightstation has only the tower and buildings to support it use, and is serviced by a keeper who lives elsewhere and comes to the station at intervals to service it.

The St. Augustine lighthouse and surrounding buildings have a long history of paranormal activity. Allegedly, visitors and workers have seen moving shadows, heard voices and unexplained sounds, and seen the figures of two little girls standing on the lighthouse catwalk (who purportedly were daughters of Hezekiah Pittee, Superintendent of Lighthouse Construction, during the 1870s. The girls drowned in a tragic accident during the building of the tower). Other reports are of a woman seen on the lighthouse stairway or walking in the yard outside the buildings, and the figure of a man who roams the basement.

The Fresnel Lens, though you cannot get into the lens room, I was able to stretch high enough to get a decent picture of the lens. A great lens, showing 3+miles out to see, with the 'Flash' reportedly seen 20 miles out.

The lens from the interior, showing the 2, 1000 watt bulbs that supply light now. Originally light was supplied burning lard, then refitted to burn kerosene. Both of which were carried up the 219 stairs in 5 gallon metal buckets.

The lightkeepers house was 2 story. Occupied by the light house keeper family, and the family of the lightkeepers assistant.

Though I climbed the stairs alone, a friendly park persons was there to help take pictures. The Atlantic ocean is behind me. The stairwell of 219 steps as seen from the top looking down.

These prisms set in the floor of the lens room provide light at night to the lower room and stairwell at night. Even in daylight with the sun they provide some beautiful specs of light below.

Looking West from the top of the tower toward St. Augustine.