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February 9, 2017

Lighting it Up – Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

12 Comments/ 68/ 1

Beaches may be my favorite place to visit. Next on the list has to be lighthouses.  I can not tell you how many lighthouses I have visited over the years.  Of course my all time favorite one is the Marblehead Lighthouse  in Marblehead, Ohio.  I wrote about it here but I definitely need to do an updated post as this one got a little whoppermajawed in the whole blog move.

Chris is always trying to make me happy by getting me to beaches and lighthouses.  On our recent trip to Florida we  were able to see a few including the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.

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How fun is it to spy a lighthouse off in the distance and drive till you find it?  That was our strategy with the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.

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We didn’t actually go into the museum or lighthouse (we had a time commitment elsewhere) but at least I could pop out of the car to get a few shots.

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The Lighthouse is operated by the Loxahatchee River Historical Society, Inc.  The Lighthouse Museum opened in 1973.  The Society serves as the Lighthouse Operations Manager since 1994 and holds a long term lease with the U.S Coast Guard.

The Society has three main functions which are preservation, education and operation. To read more about what this non profit does to promote these three areas click here to go to their website directly.

Want a little history about this lighthouse?  Congress set the wheels in motion in 1853 with the authorization of the lighthouse to be built at Jupiter Inlet.  It was one of six Florida lighthouse projects that was assigned to Army Lieutenant George Gordon Meade.  This was the same man who who later defeated Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg .  While he selected the site and started the original design it was actually Lieutenant William Reynolds who improved on that design by adding some height and a double wall.  Edward Yorke was the man who saw the lighthouse construction through to its completion in May 1860.

The construction of the lighthouse was delayed several times by storms, malaria and the Third Seminole Indian War.  Supplies had to be sent down the Indian River on small barges bit by bit. Most of the work done on the 108-foot lighthouse, adjacent oil house, and keepers’ house were completed in less than six months. The lighthouse was officially lit on July 10, 1860.lighthouse-4

The lighthouse fell upon “dark times” during the American Civil War when Confederate sympathizers turned the light out and kept the lighthouse dark throughout the Civil War.  5 years after the war ended the lighthouse was reassembled and the light was lit once again.

An amazing number of over 70 different lighthouse keepers kept the lighthouse going from 1860-1939.  In 1939 the lighthouse joined forces with the Coast Guard and Keeper Charles Seabrook enlisted in order to continue his service.  The Coast Guard continued as keepers of the lighthouse until it was automated in 1987.

Today visitors can walk around the grounds, tour the museum, climb the lighthouse and enjoy all there is to see.  There is just something about a lighthouse.  When I see one I have a sense of safety and security.

Don't you just love these trees?

Don’t you just love these trees?

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If you are a lighthouse lover like me where is your favorite lighthouse?  Remember every comment this month means 50 cents to The Cindy Platt Boys and Girls Club of Transylvania County through Comments for a Cause.

 

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12 Comments

Leave a comment
  1. Darlene
    February 09, 2017 at 06:23 am

    I love all lighthouses. There are a few near me here as I live on the coast. I visited a cool one in Crescent City, Calfornia a few years ago which was supposed to be haunted. I have never met a lighthouse I didn’t Like!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      February 09, 2017 at 06:58 am

      I agree. They are all so unique and special and it is fun to be able to actually club up inside them, isn’t it? I bet the ones near you are really amazing ones as well.

      Reply
  2. treadlemusic
    February 09, 2017 at 07:35 am

    Your photos are wonderful…..especially the one that gives us the gorgeous close-up of the upper portion! That diamond glass motif is utterly fantastic. Any and all lighthouses are my faves, no matter how large or small. They each have stories uniquely theirs and their ‘personality’/history is a result of those who risked much to complete their construction.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      February 09, 2017 at 07:40 am

      I knew you had to be a lighthouse lover as well.. You are exactly right–they each have a story and have their own uniqueness. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
      1. treadlemusic
        February 09, 2017 at 07:46 am

        My pleasure….always…..to read you lovely postings!!!! Lately, I’ve been doing more lurking than commenting and must get back “in the groove” of leaving a jotting or two!!! LOL!!!!! Hugs….

        Reply
  3. [email protected]
    February 09, 2017 at 08:44 am

    I’m sure you guessed that I am fond of the Marblehead lighthouse,too! Beautiful to see by land or from the lake. My author friend Jane O’Brien has written a charming romance book The 13th Lighthouse, that features the wonderful lighthouses of western Michigan.

    Reply
  4. Minnesota Prairie Roots
    February 09, 2017 at 09:25 am

    I’ve only seen three lighthouses ever. Of those, I would choose Split Rock Lighthouse along Minnesota’s North Shore.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      February 09, 2017 at 01:10 pm

      I LOVED Split Rock –honestly it was one of my favorites of all time. Just a really neat place.

      Reply
  5. Judy Hudgins
    February 09, 2017 at 11:46 am

    can’t wait to get back to NC and show the grand daughter the beaches and lighthouses of NC.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      February 09, 2017 at 01:10 pm

      Oh yes! There are some great ones in NC for sure!

      Reply
  6. Marci B
    February 09, 2017 at 03:03 pm

    I just figured out why you are my friend! My Mom loved lighthouses, too!

    Reply
  7. Marci B
    February 09, 2017 at 03:04 pm

    P.S. One of the things I want to do when we go to the Outer Banks, is explore a bunch of their lighthouses!

    Reply

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