ABC Wednesday: "L" is for Lighthouse

The St. Augustine Lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida.

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ABC Wednesday: "L" is for Lighthouse

I imagine that lighthouses will be a popular choice this week, but they are all a little different and special in their own ways. My particular lighthouse is located in St. Augustine, FL.

The first square shaped lighthouse, 52 feet high and made of coquina, was built on this site in 1824 after Florida became part of the United States in 1821. It was then upgraded in 1874 to the current structure you see today.

But long before these formal lighthouses were built the Spanish had at least a lookout tower on the site going back to the late 1500's - first of wood, then of coquina. The British, who controlled Florida - including St. Augustine as the capitol of East Florida - from 1763-1789 were quick to convert the Spanish watchtower into a lighthouse. That structure still existed until 1880 when the changing ccoastline caused it to collapse into the water. It is now an underwater archaeological site, still somewhat visible at low tide.

In 1907 indoor plumbing reached the light station, followed by electricity in the keeper's quarters in 1925. The light itself was electrified in 1936, and automated in 1955. As the light was automated, positions for three keepers slowly dwindled down to two and then one. No longer housing lighthouse families by the 1960s, the Keepers House was rented to local residents. Eventually it was declared surplus, and St. Johns County bought it in 1970. In that year the Keepers' house suffered a devastating fire at the hands of an unknown arsonist.

For more information on the history and present of the St. Augustine Light you can read the Wikipedia entry or the lighthouse's website.

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Heron and lighthouse

This shot of a white heron sitting on a dock by the St. Augustine, FL lighthouse. The bird sat there with a few humans standing no more than 5 feet away while two of us snapped away with our cameras. It just went about its business of preening and sitting, pretty much ignoring us. Beautiful bird.