Oldest -Lighthouse in Florida
N 29° 53.132 W 081° 17.316
17R E 472133 N 3306136
Florida's oldest lighthouse.
Waymark Code: WM3028
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 01/18/2008
Views: 80
St. Augustine was the site of the first lighthouse established in Florida by the new, territorial, American Government in 1824. According to some archival records and maps, this "official" American lighthouse was placed on the site of an earlier watchtower built by the Spanish as early as the late 16th century.[2] The Map of St. Augustine depicting Sir Francis Drake's attack on the city by Baptista Boazio, 1589, shows an early wooden watch tower near the Spanish structure. By 1737, Spanish authorities built a more permanent tower from coquina taken from a nearby quarry on the island. Archival records are inconclusive as to whether the Spanish used the coquina tower as a lighthouse.
Early lamps in the first tower burned lard oil. Multiple lamps with silver reflectors were replaced by a fourth order Fresnel lens in 1855, greatly improving the lighthouse's range and eliminating some maintenance issues.
Type of documentation of superlative status: Wikipedia web site
Location of coordinates: front door
Web Site: [Web Link]
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