This is a lighthouse on the Gulf coast that I visited in 2003, and decided to come see again. When I was here before, only one of the dwellings had been restored, while the other was in terrible condition. I had read that it had since been restored as well, which is my I came back to see it.
As it turns out, somehow I lost most of my pictures from the 2003 trip, which kinda upset me. I was going to do this great before and after sequence and blah blah blah.... Anyway, so this picture is not mine, it is from
Lighthouse Friends. But it shows how the second dwelling looked when I was here before.
Now the second dwelling is fully restored and serves as a gift shop that is, naturally, not open on Sundays, which is when I was here.
The site has no markers or brochures, so no locally available information. This small building is also there and was probably associated with operation of the lighthouse.
A brief overview of the light's history, thanks again to
Lighthouse Friends. To read the full story, go to their site. I don't want any kind of copyright snafu.
A lighthouse here was originally built in 1836, further north, near the tip of the St Joseph cape. From 1847-48 it was dismantled and rebuilt at the current location near the southern end. This light was destroyed by wind in 1851. A second brick tower was built in 1855, but was destroyed by a hurricane less than a year later. In 1857 the third brick tower was built, which lasted until 1882, when the beach around it had completely eroded away.
Following the loss of the third tower, it was decided to replace it with an iron skeleton tower that could easily be moved if needed. It was built in 1885, after the ship carrying it, ironically, sank. The iron skeleton proved to be a good idea in 1918, when the light was moved inland to protect it from the eroding shoreline. The light remained active until 1996, and in 1999 was placed under care of the Air Force.
A short walk takes you to the beach
The light is also clearly visible from the beach
The light is on Air Force property, part of the Eglin Air Force Base, seen above. It is accessible to the public, unless special AF testing is occurring. There is also a state park a few miles up the road.
As it turns out, somehow I lost most of my pictures from the 2003 trip, which kinda upset me. I was going to do this great before and after sequence and blah blah blah.... Anyway, so this picture is not mine, it is from Lighthouse Friends. But it shows how the second dwelling looked when I was here before.
Now the second dwelling is fully restored and serves as a gift shop that is, naturally, not open on Sundays, which is when I was here.
The site has no markers or brochures, so no locally available information. This small building is also there and was probably associated with operation of the lighthouse.
A brief overview of the light's history, thanks again to Lighthouse Friends. To read the full story, go to their site. I don't want any kind of copyright snafu.
A lighthouse here was originally built in 1836, further north, near the tip of the St Joseph cape. From 1847-48 it was dismantled and rebuilt at the current location near the southern end. This light was destroyed by wind in 1851. A second brick tower was built in 1855, but was destroyed by a hurricane less than a year later. In 1857 the third brick tower was built, which lasted until 1882, when the beach around it had completely eroded away.
Following the loss of the third tower, it was decided to replace it with an iron skeleton tower that could easily be moved if needed. It was built in 1885, after the ship carrying it, ironically, sank. The iron skeleton proved to be a good idea in 1918, when the light was moved inland to protect it from the eroding shoreline. The light remained active until 1996, and in 1999 was placed under care of the Air Force.
A short walk takes you to the beach
The light is also clearly visible from the beach
The light is on Air Force property, part of the Eglin Air Force Base, seen above. It is accessible to the public, unless special AF testing is occurring. There is also a state park a few miles up the road.
