Oldest Standing Struture on Cape Canaveral - Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA - Superlatives on Waymarking.com

The first Cape Canaveral Lighthouse was completed in January 1848 to warn ships of the coral shoals off the coast. The first tower, built of brick, was just 65 feet tall. After many mariners voiced their concern that this structure was not tall enough to sufficiently warn ships of the abundance of shoals just off the cape shores, the government approved construction of the current tower.

This second lighthouse was designed to be 151 feet tall. Its beam shines approximately 22 nautical miles and continues to be a working lighthouse today.

Cape Canaveral became the test site for missiles when the legislation for the Joint Long Range Proving Ground was passed by the 81st Congress and signed by President Harry Truman on May 11, 1949. Work began on May 9, 1950 to develop the cape for missile testing. As a result all private buildings and homes were destroyed with the exception of the lighthouse resulting in it being the oldest remaining standing structure on the cape.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This waymark has limited access availability due to it location on official government property. The easiest way to visit this waymark is to sign up for a Lighthouse tour with the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Details and booking can be found at Canaveral Lighthouse Tours, by phone at 321-307-2900 and email at Contactus@Canaveral.Tours. Visit canaverallight.org for more information.

Type of documentation of superlative status: Air Force Space and Missile Museum fact sheet Location of coordinates: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Web Site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/26/2019 BoomersOTR visited it