DISCOVER THE SECRET PATH TO A PIONEER PAST:
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Lighthouse draws admirers
By JACQUE ESTES
NEWS-JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT
ST. AUGUSTINE — A beacon for sailors since 1875, the St. Augustine Lighthouse is the first historic site seen by visitors driving north on State Road A1A.
The 165-foot black and white striped, red-domed lighthouse isn't the first one that has stood as a sentry on the St. Augustine shore.
The first lighthouse, built by Spanish settlers in 1565, was a wooden structure that stood in an area long since covered by the Atlantic Ocean.
The inlet to colonial St. Augustine was difficult for sailors to navigate because of the constantly shifting banks. Men stood guard in the original structure, guiding supply ships through the shallow harbor and warning settlers of enemy and pirate ships offshore.
The wooden tower was officially recognized as Florida's first lighthouse in 1864. The erosion of the sand on which the original tower was built began collapsing this lighthouse in 1870. Plans were made to build a new one further inland.
The current lighthouse has stood over the town of St. Augustine since 1874. The new lighthouse included a brick lighthouse keeper's house. Until 1955, full time lighthouse keepers lived and worked on the grounds with their families.
The Fresnel lens that lights up the sky today is the same lens used in 1874. The initial lens was electrified in 1936 and became fully automated in 1955, eliminating the need for a full-time keeper.
The lighthouse was darkened during the Civil War to prevent enemy ships gaining access to the shores. In World War II, the lighthouse, operated by the United States Coast Guard, kept its light but with reduced candlepower to keep American ships safely off shore without allowing German submarines the opportunity of spotting American ships in the night.
Today, even though computerized navigational equipment has replaced the need for the flashing light on top of the structure, the light still shines. The beacon of the Fresnel lens flashes throughout the night sky. The three "bull's-eyes" light rotates on a 90-second interval, flashing light across St. Augustine every 30 seconds.
The 219 steps that wind, in corkscrew fashion, to the top platform provide visitors with a unique view of the surrounding area. Staring up the center of the black iron stairs from the black and white tiled entry floor, visitors often look for an elevator.
Just as in the day when the lighthouse keepers walked the steps more than once a day and, in the early days, toting oil to the top for the lamp, tourists, armed with lightweight cameras, huff and puff their way to the top.
Along the way, there are opportunities to stop at widened landings and gaze out the windows at the city below. Those who persevere and walk to the top and out onto the platform that encircles the lens will be rewarded with a breathtaking 360-degree view.
Visitors always have been attracted to the tower. Many school children, taking a trip to St. Augustine for their studies on Florida history, are taken to the lighthouse during their visit. In 1910, a group of students climbed the tower to watch the passing of Haley's Comet from the observation deck.
The Coast Guard transferred the ownership of the lighthouse tower in July to the St. Augustine Lighthouse Museum as part of a pilot program.
"The Coast Guard owned all of the lighthouses around the country," said Michele Blevins, public relations coordinator for the non-profit group. "Ten lighthouses were in the pilot program and six of them were awarded ownership. We were the only non-profit organization selected."
Before the transfer of ownership, the group leased the tower from the Coast Guard and the lighthouse keeper's house, which includes the museum and gift shop, from the city. The group will continue to lease from the city but now can call the tower their own.
The change in ownership will not be evident to visitors to the landmark.
"The daily operations will stay the same. Visitors will come and go on tours," Blevins said. "The difference is like owning or renting your home. There are more possibilities when you own."
