FIRST - Gulf Coast Lighthouse - Pensacola, FL
N 30° 20.753 W 087° 18.497
16R E 470370 N 3357153
The current Pensacola Lighthouse was lit in 1859.
Waymark Code: WMQN8T
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 03/06/2016
Views: 5
In 1825 a 40-foot tower was built on a 40-foot bluff at the south entrance to Pensacola Bay. This light was partially obscured by trees close to the tower and on Santa Rosa Island. In 1858 a new tower was built on the north side of the bay entrance, and was lit on January 1, 1859. The new, and current, tower is 150 feet tall, and also sits on a 40-foot bluff located on the Pensacola Naval Air Station, placing the light 190 feet above sea level. The brick walls are 10 feet thick at the base and 3 feet thick at the top. 177 cast iron steps spiral up to the lantern room. The white beacon flashes once every 20 seconds and can be seen 27 miles out to sea.
At the start of the Civil War, Pensacola was controlled by Confederate forces, while Fort Pickens across the bay remained in Union hands. Confederate authorities removed the lens from the lighthouse, and most of the lighthouse supplies were requisitioned for the war effort. In November 1861 an artillery duel between the two forces damaged the lighthouse tower. Confederate forces later evacuated Pensacola, and were replaced by Union forces. In 1863 the Pensacola Light was relit using a fourth-order Fresnel lens. A new first-order lens was placed in the tower in 1869. The tower was all white during the Civil War. Later, the upper two-thirds of the tower was painted black. Electricity was introduced to the lighthouse in 1939, eliminating the need to rewind the light rotation clockworks every 4½ hours. The light was automated in 1965. The lighthouse tower and associated buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The Pensacola Light remains an active aid to navigation.
Info from Wikipedia and the Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum brochure.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Item or Event
Date of FIRST: 01/01/1859
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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