Bodie Island Lighthouse (ca. 1872)

Located on the Outer Banks about 35 miles north of Cape Hatteras, this 164-foot light is the third built at this site. The first only lasted about a decade while the second succumbed to the dynamite of retreating Confederate soldiers in 1861. The present light was lit in 1872 and serves as an active aid to navigation to the present day. For the past decade the light has been undergoing various forms of renovation. When I visited in December of 2011 neither the tower or the keepers building were open to the public.

Bodie Island Lighthouse (ca. 1872)

Located on the Outer Banks about 35 miles north of Cape Hatteras, this 164-foot light is the third built at this site. The first only lasted about a decade while the second succumbed to the dynamite of retreating Confederate soldiers in 1861. The present light was lit in 1872 and serves as an active aid to navigation to the present day. For the past decade the light has been undergoing various forms of renovation. When I visited in December of 2011 neither the tower or the keepers building were open to the public.

Bodie Island Lighthouse (ca. 1872)

Located on the Outer Banks about 35 miles north of Cape Hatteras, this 164-foot light is the third built at this site. The first only lasted about a decade while the second succumbed to the dynamite of retreating Confederate soldiers in 1861. The present light was lit in 1872 and serves as an active aid to navigation to the present day. For the past decade the light has been undergoing various forms of renovation. When I visited in December of 2011 neither the tower or the keepers building were open to the public.

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

Not sure I've been to a lighthouse with a prettier entry path...

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

Looking up the iron staircase inside the tower. Note the distance between the walls and the stairs here at the base. At the top they nearly touch...

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

A wide, inviting, white sand beach stretches away to the north...

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

The original keepers house was burned long ago during the attack on the lighthouse in 1836. After the state purchased the property they rebuilt the old home...I kind of think it almost looks too nice...

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

The history of the Cape Florida Lighthouse is one of the most desperate of any lighthouse I've read about. I'll try to make it brief... The first structure was built on this site in 1825. A little over ten years later, in 1836, a group of local Seminoles attacked the tower, killing one of the light workers (likely a slave) and seriously wounding the Assistant Light Keeper. Much of the interior of the light was burned or destroyed. It took a further 11 years, until 1847, before a replacement light was built due to the hostile area it was located in. In 1851 the light was raised to its height of 95' and fitted with a Second Order Fresnel Lens...and then came the Civil War. Like many lighthouses along the southern coast the lighting fixture was demolished by Confederate troops to discourage the Union blockade. Luckily they left the tower standing, unlike so many others in the region. After the war it was re-lit, but like before only briefly. In 1878 it was extinghished permanently as the offshore light at Fowey Rocks assumed its duties....and so it remained abandoned for nearly 100 years. Finally, in 1966, the State of Florida purchased the old light and it was re-lit (again) in 1978. That should have been the happy ending the light deserved but then, in 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck and severely damaged the beleaguered old tower. Determined not to loose the old light, the structure was once again restored and opened to the public in 1996 along with a replica of the keepers building which was burned during the Seminole Wars. One can only hope for quieter days ahead for this old light...

Bodie Island Lighthouse (ca. 1872)

Located on the Outer Banks about 35 miles north of Cape Hatteras, this 164-foot light is the third built at this site. The first only lasted about a decade while the second succumbed to the dynamite of retreating Confederate soldiers in 1861. The present light was lit in 1872 and serves as an active aid to navigation to the present day. For the past decade the light has been undergoing various forms of renovation. When I visited in December of 2011 neither the tower or the keepers building were open to the public.

Bodie Island Lighthouse (ca. 1872)

Located on the Outer Banks about 35 miles north of Cape Hatteras, this 164-foot light is the third built at this site. The first only lasted about a decade while the second succumbed to the dynamite of retreating Confederate soldiers in 1861. The present light was lit in 1872 and serves as an active aid to navigation to the present day. For the past decade the light has been undergoing various forms of renovation. When I visited in December of 2011 neither the tower or the keepers building were open to the public.

Bodie Island Lighthouse (ca. 1872)

Located on the Outer Banks about 35 miles north of Cape Hatteras, this 164-foot light is the third built at this site. The first only lasted about a decade while the second succumbed to the dynamite of retreating Confederate soldiers in 1861. The present light was lit in 1872 and serves as an active aid to navigation to the present day. For the past decade the light has been undergoing various forms of renovation. When I visited in December of 2011 neither the tower or the keepers building were open to the public.

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

The history of the Cape Florida Lighthouse is one of the most desperate of any lighthouse I've read about. I'll try to make it brief... The first structure was built on this site in 1825. A little over ten years later, in 1836, a group of local Seminoles attacked the tower, killing one of the light workers (likely a slave) and seriously wounding the Assistant Light Keeper. Much of the interior of the light was burned or destroyed. It took a further 11 years, until 1847, before a replacement light was built due to the hostile area it was located in. In 1851 the light was raised to its height of 95' and fitted with a Second Order Fresnel Lens...and then came the Civil War. Like many lighthouses along the southern coast the lighting fixture was demolished by Confederate troops to discourage the Union blockade. Luckily they left the tower standing, unlike so many others in the region. After the war it was re-lit, but like before only briefly. In 1878 it was extinghished permanently as the offshore light at Fowey Rocks assumed its duties....and so it remained abandoned for nearly 100 years. Finally, in 1966, the State of Florida purchased the old light and it was re-lit (again) in 1978. That should have been the happy ending the light deserved but then, in 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck and severely damaged the beleaguered old tower. Determined not to loose the old light, the structure was once again restored and opened to the public in 1996 along with a replica of the keepers building which was burned during the Seminole Wars. One can only hope for quieter days ahead for this old light...

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

Looking down from the tower at the replica keepers building...

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

The northern panorama from the top of the Cape Florida Lighthouse...the high rises of Key Biscayne can be seen in the distance...

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

The lower floor housed the expected living areas and kitchen...

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

The history of the Cape Florida Lighthouse is one of the most desperate of any lighthouse I've read about. I'll try to make it brief... The first structure was built on this site in 1825. A little over ten years later, in 1836, a group of local Seminoles attacked the tower, killing one of the light workers (likely a slave) and seriously wounding the Assistant Light Keeper. Much of the interior of the light was burned or destroyed. It took a further 11 years, until 1847, before a replacement light was built due to the hostile area it was located in. In 1851 the light was raised to its height of 95' and fitted with a Second Order Fresnel Lens...and then came the Civil War. Like many lighthouses along the southern coast the lighting fixture was demolished by Confederate troops to discourage the Union blockade. Luckily they left the tower standing, unlike so many others in the region. After the war it was re-lit, but like before only briefly. In 1878 it was extinghished permanently as the offshore light at Fowey Rocks assumed its duties....and so it remained abandoned for nearly 100 years. Finally, in 1966, the State of Florida purchased the old light and it was re-lit (again) in 1978. That should have been the happy ending the light deserved but then, in 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck and severely damaged the beleaguered old tower. Determined not to loose the old light, the structure was once again restored and opened to the public in 1996 along with a replica of the keepers building which was burned during the Seminole Wars. One can only hope for quieter days ahead for this old light...

Bodie Island Lighthouse (ca. 1872)

Located on the Outer Banks about 35 miles north of Cape Hatteras, this 164-foot light is the third built at this site. The first only lasted about a decade while the second succumbed to the dynamite of retreating Confederate soldiers in 1861. The present light was lit in 1872 and serves as an active aid to navigation to the present day. For the past decade the light has been undergoing various forms of renovation. When I visited in December of 2011 neither the tower or the keepers building were open to the public.

Bodie Island Lighthouse (ca. 1872)

Located on the Outer Banks about 35 miles north of Cape Hatteras, this 164-foot light is the third built at this site. The first only lasted about a decade while the second succumbed to the dynamite of retreating Confederate soldiers in 1861. The present light was lit in 1872 and serves as an active aid to navigation to the present day. For the past decade the light has been undergoing various forms of renovation. When I visited in December of 2011 neither the tower or the keepers building were open to the public.

Bodie Island Lighthouse (ca. 1872)

Located on the Outer Banks about 35 miles north of Cape Hatteras, this 164-foot light is the third built at this site. The first only lasted about a decade while the second succumbed to the dynamite of retreating Confederate soldiers in 1861. The present light was lit in 1872 and serves as an active aid to navigation to the present day. For the past decade the light has been undergoing various forms of renovation. When I visited in December of 2011 neither the tower or the keepers building were open to the public.

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

The history of the Cape Florida Lighthouse is one of the most desperate of any lighthouse I've read about. I'll try to make it brief... The first structure was built on this site in 1825. A little over ten years later, in 1836, a group of local Seminoles attacked the tower, killing one of the light workers (likely a slave) and seriously wounding the Assistant Light Keeper. Much of the interior of the light was burned or destroyed. It took a further 11 years, until 1847, before a replacement light was built due to the hostile area it was located in. In 1851 the light was raised to its height of 95' and fitted with a Second Order Fresnel Lens...and then came the Civil War. Like many lighthouses along the southern coast the lighting fixture was demolished by Confederate troops to discourage the Union blockade. Luckily they left the tower standing, unlike so many others in the region. After the war it was re-lit, but like before only briefly. In 1878 it was extinghished permanently as the offshore light at Fowey Rocks assumed its duties....and so it remained abandoned for nearly 100 years. Finally, in 1966, the State of Florida purchased the old light and it was re-lit (again) in 1978. That should have been the happy ending the light deserved but then, in 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck and severely damaged the beleaguered old tower. Determined not to loose the old light, the structure was once again restored and opened to the public in 1996 along with a replica of the keepers building which was burned during the Seminole Wars. One can only hope for quieter days ahead for this old light...

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

The southern panorama from the top of the Cape Florida Lighthouse...

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

On the western horizon the modern city of Miami glistens in the southern Florida sunshine...

Cape Florida Lighthouse (ca. 1851)

Due to the hot southern climate, little time aside from sleeping was spent upstairs. Window nets would have helped keep out bugs and allow for a bit of a cross-breeze. According to a sign inside the home, residents rarely stayed up past dusk as lighting the home was considered a waste of oil...

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (ca. 1870)

Perhaps the United State's most iconic lighthouse, Cape Hatteras was built to guide ships through some of the most dangerous seas on the east coast. The original tower built at the cape was completed in 1803 and served for over half a century before succumbing, as so many southern lighthouses did, to the ravages of the Civil War. Damage inflicted on the light during the war were sufficient enough that Congress determined that a building an entirely new lighthouse would be more cost-effective. The present 203-foot tower (the highest in the U.S.) was lit in 1870 and served until 1935 when the Coast Guard abandoned it as it appeared the light would soon fall into the sea. In 1950 the light was relit, however, as the shoreline had once again retreated from the light. Mother nature's reprieve would be brief. By 1990 the ocean had once again eaten to within 100' of the tower and a massive effort was soon underway to relocate the historic structure. In 1999, through a remarkable feat of engineering, the light and keepers building were carefully moved a half-mile inland. The light continues to be an active aid to navigation to this day and in the summer you can climb its 248 steps for a truly spectacular view of the surrounding seashore.