Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse and Museum, Florida

 

“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”

Anne Lamott

My love of lighthouses brought us to this location which is only ten miles from Daytona Beach on a beautiful blue skied December day. I had seen pictures of this brick beauty and knew I didn’t want to miss seeing it. The Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse it the tallest lighthouse in Florida and is one of the tallest in the United States. The bright Venetian Red color make this lighthouse really stand out. An interesting fact is the color is not paint but a special mineral based coating. We drove into the quaint town of Ponce Inlet and there she stood; in all her beauty.                             

We went into the visitors center and gift shop and paid the $6.95 per adult to get in. If we had children between 3 – 11 years old, their charge for admittance would have been $1.95 and under 3 are free. They did give us a military discount so be sure to mention if you are or were a service member. We were given a map of the area and short description of the property by one of the museum workers. The admission price covers walking up the lighthouse and all the buildings on the property. Joe and I went to the lighthouse first. It stands at 175 feet tall and is the equivalent of a seventeen story building. Yikes. That is a long walk up.

This cone shaped building has a spiral staircase up to the top. That is a mere 203 steps straight up but we were told it is worth it as the view is spectacular. Well, we set off to climb up this staircase masterpiece and after many stops to the top, we made it. They were totally correct in that the view was amazing. We could see a good twenty miles as it was such a clear day. You get a wonderful panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean, Ponce Inlet, and Halifax River. It was just beautiful. The lighthouse starts with a 32 foot wide diameter at the bottom with 8 foot thick walls and when you reach the top it has a 12 foot wide diameter with a two foot thick wall. They used 1.25 million bricks to build this structure and it took them four years.

We stayed at the top and enjoyed the views for a while taking in the nice cool salt air. Keep in mind that in the summertime, this lighthouse can get quite warm inside. Now for the climb down. I then realized how narrow the steps were coming down, especially at the top, and my legs complained a lot more coming down than going up. I knew I would feel it the next day. But it was so worth it.

The history of this area and lighthouse is very intriguing. Ponce Inlet, once known as Mosquito Inlet was occupied by Native Americans for years but history was recorded when a Spanish explorer who came by ship to this area in 1513 named Juan Ponce de Leon. He sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second excursion and became the first governor of Puerto Rico. But that may not be totally factual as now many say he traveled no further north than Sebastian Inlet. The name of Ponce Inlet was actually named after the areas first settler, Antonio Pons, who traveled from Minorca, and was given a 50 acre land grant. This area stayed in Spanish control until 1763, when the English got control at the end of the French and Indian War and eventually became a state in the United States in 1845.

It was decided the inlet needed a lighthouse since there were so many shipwrecks off the coast because of shifting sand bars. The first lighthouse was built on the south side of this inlet when it was known as Mosquito Inlet and was called the Mosquito Inlet Lighthouse in 1835. I’m sure you can guess why it inherited that name. The oil for the lanterns never came so it was never lit. The Seminole Indians came to the tower during the Second Seminole War, destroyed the beacon room where they shattered glass and took the reflectors which they made into head dresses. Lastly they burned the wooden stairs inside the lighthouse. The Indians responsible were later found and took prisoner by the Mosquito Roarers, which was a group of Florida volunteers who were residents, workers and neighbors in Mosquito Country. In 1836, during a hurricane, the lighthouse sank into the sea.

When Francis Hopkinson Smith bought a small plot of land in 1883, the writer/engineer designed the new lighthouse along with Chief Engineer, Orville E. Babcock. Babcock worked on the lighthouse until he and three other workers drowned in the inlet which stopped the construction. It took four years to complete and was lit the first time on November 1, 1887 with a fixed Fresnel lens. It was visible 20 miles out to sea and lit up 60 miles of shoreline.

During the early years it took three lighthouse keepers that had to give the lighthouse constant attention. They were kept very busy with cleaning the lighthouse/lens during the day and keeping enough kerosene to keep the light going at night. Each lighthouse keeper had their own house. The homes are all still in tack today. In fact, this lighthouse is one of the few in the country that still has all the original homes and outbuildings.

The lighthouse was used during WWI and WWII as a watch tower to look for enemy subs. I’m sure it was a great vantage point to be able to see for miles if anything was coming. Mosquito Inlet Light changed its name to Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse in 1927. The lighthouse was electrified in 1933 using a 500 watt lamp. It was automated in 1953. The Coast Guard took care of this lighthouse from 1939 to 1970 when they deactivated it and deeded it to the town of Ponce Inlet. The Coast Guard reactivated the beacon in 1982, The Coast Guard granted permission to allow the lighthouse to become a private navigational aid. It is now taken care of by the Lighthouse Preservation Association and the museum staff. This is a working lighthouse has a Third order Fresnel lens using a 30 second rotation.

I found it interesting that in some of the early photos of the lighthouse, it showed a cage around the lantern which they called the bird net. They had to put the cage around the twice a year during the bird migration or else they would find dozens of dead birds at the foot of the tower. I am not sure if they still have to do that or how they stop that from happening now.

All the buildings were very interesting seeing how the lighthouse keepers lived and what they wore. One of the many buildings was also an oil storage building where they stored the kerosene for the light. They also had on display old anchors and an old US lighthouse service bell that weighs a 1000 pounds that was mounted on a sea buoy at the entrance to the Charleston Harbor but shortly after sank. The Coast Guard managed to recover it and donated it to the Light Station.

They also had a Lens exhibit building named the Ayres Davies building that has a great collection of lighthouse lenses. That was a very pretty and interesting display. This building was built in 1995.

Now of course, with all historic sites, there always seems to be a ghost or two and this lighthouse is no exception. Joseph B. Davis was the 1st assistant in 1918 and part of his duty was to carry five gallon Kerosene fuel to the top of the light at night. On October 26, 1919, Davis climbed the stairs to light the kerosene lamps but the light did not go on that night. The 2nd assistant, Benjamin Stone walked up to see why it was not lit and found Davis on the stairs dead from heart failure. People have stated they smelled kerosene in that area of the lighthouse and attribute it to his ghost.

Another light keepers son died on the property after he was kicked by a horse. It is said that his ghost likes to prank people by opening and closing doors. Many people have also said they have seen white orbs on the grounds. We did not witness anything so believe it or not.

This fine piece of architectural history became a National Historic Landmark in 1998. It is a great place to spend some time and learn about the history of navigation, lighthouse, and the history of the area. Come check it out. It makes for a lovely day. If you want to know more, please visit www.ponceinlet.org. It is located at 4931 South Peninsula Drive, Ponce Inlet, Florida and is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Till next time. Bye for now.