St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum

St. Augustine, Florida: A beacon of light on the rough seas of the Atlantic Ocean, the St. Augustine Lighthouse has helped ships navigate these waters for over 130 years. Over the years, the lighthouse has withstood wars, storms and tragedy while still shining its light on the horizon, guiding ships to safety.

Lighthouses in St. Augustine have been in existence way before today’s lighthouse was built. Early accounts show that there was a beacon of light to guide ships during the piracy days of the late 1500’s. The first formal reference to a lighthouse was during British occupation of the city in the late 1700’s.

The first lighthouse was built by the Spanish in 1737. Using coquina from a quarry on the island, they built a lighthouse tower. The tower served as the St. Augustine Lighthouse until it fell victim to the sea in 1880, crashing into the water.

The current lighthouse was built in 1874. At 165 feet in height, it was the largest structure in the region. Its first order Fresnel lens can be seen for over 20 miles. Until electricity reached the station in 1936, it was the job of the keeper to make sure the light remained lit via oil. The keeper kept a constant watch on the lighthouse until it became automated in 1955.

After the lighthouse became automated, the site slowly deteriorated. A fire severly damaged the keeper’s house and a vandal shot out 19 of the prisms of the lens. But a group of locals sought to restore the lighthouse to its original glory.

The efforts by the group has given us a wonderfully restored lighthouse and grounds which today operates as the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum. Here you can take a self-guided 20 stop tour of the lighthouse, keeper’s house, museum and more. The tour includes a look back into the history of the tower, St. Augustine’s maritime history and much more. The highlight of the tour is the 219 step climb to the top of the tower and the sweeping views of the city from the observation deck.

The museum also hosts a paranormal tour of the facility in the evening. The Dark of the Moon tour takes guests into the lighthouse at night where you learn of the spirits that still roam the grounds. The lighthouse has appeared on the Sci-Fy TV show Ghosthunters in which they had several paranormal experiences during the filming of the show including a full body apparition.

They grounds of the museum is also home to a NOAA weather station and an archeological research program. The research program known as LAMP works to preserve the maritime history of St. Augustine through research and preservation. They have recovered artifacts from several shipwrecks off the coast of St. Augustine.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse and Keeper’s Quarters were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

You can tour the lighthouse daily from 9-6. They are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission is $9.50 for adults and $7.50 for children and seniors. The Dark of the Moon tour takes place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for $25 an adult and $20 for a child with advance reservations required.

Click on the photo above to view pictures from the St. Augustine Lighthouse.