Gulf Coast Lighthouses 2009 Wall Calendar
#20539 - Cape Hatteras Lighthouse by Meyda Tiffany
The
history of lighthouses starts with the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks
and Romans but the Mayans also had lighthouses dating back to the 13th
century.The Egyptians built the tallest lighthouse that was ever built
and it stood 900 ft high and showed sailors the way for 1,500 years. A
great book of lighthouse history and lighthouse information
is The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses.
The history of the lighthouse indicates they had wicked lamps that had to be lit each day by the lighthouse keeper or “keeper of the light”.The wicked lamp light could only be seen for a few miles.These wicked lamps used whale oil or lard to burn with the wick. In 1841 the first lens using a prism with the wicked lamps was used to make the light shine much brighter and farther.This lens was invented by a Frenchman named Augustin-Jean Fresnel and the lens is called the Fresnel lens. Compared to earlier lenses, the Fresnel lens is much thinner, thus passing more light and allowing lighthouses to be visible over much longer distances.
The history of lighthouses is important because we should always remember how helpful lighthouses were and still are to boaters both small and large. One can find lighthouses built on beaches, near harbors and inlets, and on rocks. (If you have ever been on the St Lawrence Seaway in the 1000 Islands area of upstate New York, you will know what I am talking about.) They help direct boaters to safety. When the fog would roll in, the lighthouse keeper in days of old would ring a bell or shoot a canon every hour to help guide the sailor home.
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In 1716 the first lighthouse built in the USA was the Boston Harbor Lighthouse
. It was built on Little Brewster Island in the
outer Boston Harbor in Massachusetts and was destroyed in the
Revolutionary War. The lighthouse was rebuilt and still stands today. The
Point Piņos Light was built in 1855 on the Pacific coast in California.
It is the oldest continuously-operating lighthouse on the west coast of
the US and even the lens is original.
In my state of Florida, the history of the lighthouse starts with the St. Augustine Lighthouse pictured above. It's light still shines across the harbor that was used by the Spanish in 1565 to settle in the area. The lens makes one rotation every 90 seconds.This is the second lighthouse built on this site due to beach erosion. North of St. Augustine near the Georgia border, is the Amelia Island Lighthouse.Today it is in a quiet residential neighborhood owned by the city. It is open to view on the first and third Wednesday of each month. (Call ahead to be sure.)
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The towering Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse just south of Daytona Beach is another beautiful lighthouse. The lighthouse, pictured at the bottom of the page, was first built on this site in 1835 but soon after completion a severe storm washed much of the sand away from the base. Within a year, the tower had fallen into the sea. It wasn't until 1887 that the current Ponce Inlet Light was completed. The lighthouse was taken out of service in 1970 and replaced by a beacon at the New Smyrna Coast Guard station. When high-rise condos obscured the Coast Guard beacon in 1983, the old Ponce lighthouse was returned to service.
Another is the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse near the Kennedy Space Center. The only way to get near this lighthouse is by taking a bus tour from the Visitor's Center.This awesome picture of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse was taken by Les Merritt who works for Fort Canaveral. Thanx, Les!
Further south is Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse is about 15 miles north of Palm Beach and is famous for being the home of Burt Reynolds. The light is on a Coast Guard base, but is easily viewed from across the inlet and the tower is open for climbing. Just north of Miami is the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse. The Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse is a 132 ft skeletal lighthouse not open to the public but its light can be seen for 25 miles. The lighthouse that marks the north entrance to Biscayne Bay, Cape Florida Lighthouse, is the oldest surviving structure in South Florida. It was decommissioned in 1878 and returned to work in 1978. Then, as far south as you can go in the continental U.S. is the unique Key West Lighthouse. The Key West lighthouse was decommissioned as an active navigation aid in 1969 and today serves only as a working museum and one of the many attractions to see on Key West.
Florida's Gulf Coast has several lighthouses to visit also. St. Marks Lighthouse stands in a gorgeous wildlife refuge and had a woman lighthouse keeper from 1904 to 1919. West of Apalachicola is Cape San Blas Lighthouse, a steel open skeletal lighthouse and over on the western border is the towering Pensacola Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse on the Gulf Coast.
Lighthouses are a very important part of life on the water and we need them and should appreciate them. They are beautiful works of art and the history of lighthouses tells us the story of a part of our past.
The history of the lighthouse indicates they had wicked lamps that had to be lit each day by the lighthouse keeper or “keeper of the light”.The wicked lamp light could only be seen for a few miles.These wicked lamps used whale oil or lard to burn with the wick. In 1841 the first lens using a prism with the wicked lamps was used to make the light shine much brighter and farther.This lens was invented by a Frenchman named Augustin-Jean Fresnel and the lens is called the Fresnel lens. Compared to earlier lenses, the Fresnel lens is much thinner, thus passing more light and allowing lighthouses to be visible over much longer distances.
The history of lighthouses is important because we should always remember how helpful lighthouses were and still are to boaters both small and large. One can find lighthouses built on beaches, near harbors and inlets, and on rocks. (If you have ever been on the St Lawrence Seaway in the 1000 Islands area of upstate New York, you will know what I am talking about.) They help direct boaters to safety. When the fog would roll in, the lighthouse keeper in days of old would ring a bell or shoot a canon every hour to help guide the sailor home.
Buy at AllPosters.comIn 1716 the first lighthouse built in the USA was the Boston Harbor Lighthouse
In my state of Florida, the history of the lighthouse starts with the St. Augustine Lighthouse pictured above. It's light still shines across the harbor that was used by the Spanish in 1565 to settle in the area. The lens makes one rotation every 90 seconds.This is the second lighthouse built on this site due to beach erosion. North of St. Augustine near the Georgia border, is the Amelia Island Lighthouse.Today it is in a quiet residential neighborhood owned by the city. It is open to view on the first and third Wednesday of each month. (Call ahead to be sure.)
Serenity Cove Limited Edition
Kinkade, Thomas
Buy at AllPosters.com
The towering Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse just south of Daytona Beach is another beautiful lighthouse. The lighthouse, pictured at the bottom of the page, was first built on this site in 1835 but soon after completion a severe storm washed much of the sand away from the base. Within a year, the tower had fallen into the sea. It wasn't until 1887 that the current Ponce Inlet Light was completed. The lighthouse was taken out of service in 1970 and replaced by a beacon at the New Smyrna Coast Guard station. When high-rise condos obscured the Coast Guard beacon in 1983, the old Ponce lighthouse was returned to service.
Another is the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse near the Kennedy Space Center. The only way to get near this lighthouse is by taking a bus tour from the Visitor's Center.This awesome picture of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse was taken by Les Merritt who works for Fort Canaveral. Thanx, Les!
Further south is Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse is about 15 miles north of Palm Beach and is famous for being the home of Burt Reynolds. The light is on a Coast Guard base, but is easily viewed from across the inlet and the tower is open for climbing. Just north of Miami is the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse. The Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse is a 132 ft skeletal lighthouse not open to the public but its light can be seen for 25 miles. The lighthouse that marks the north entrance to Biscayne Bay, Cape Florida Lighthouse, is the oldest surviving structure in South Florida. It was decommissioned in 1878 and returned to work in 1978. Then, as far south as you can go in the continental U.S. is the unique Key West Lighthouse. The Key West lighthouse was decommissioned as an active navigation aid in 1969 and today serves only as a working museum and one of the many attractions to see on Key West.
Florida's Gulf Coast has several lighthouses to visit also. St. Marks Lighthouse stands in a gorgeous wildlife refuge and had a woman lighthouse keeper from 1904 to 1919. West of Apalachicola is Cape San Blas Lighthouse, a steel open skeletal lighthouse and over on the western border is the towering Pensacola Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse on the Gulf Coast.
Lighthouses are a very important part of life on the water and we need them and should appreciate them. They are beautiful works of art and the history of lighthouses tells us the story of a part of our past.
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