Ponce de Leon Inlet Light
The Mosquito Inlet Light, later known as the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light
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| Location | 4931 South Peninsula Dr Ponce de Leon Inlet Ponce Inlet, Florida South of Daytona |
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| Coordinates | 29°4′50.22″N 80°55′40.86″W / 29.0806167°N 80.9280167°WCoordinates: 29°4′50.22″N 80°55′40.86″W / 29.0806167°N 80.9280167°W |
| Year first constructed | 1835 |
| Year first lit | 1887 (current structure) |
| Automated | 1953 |
| Deactivated | 1970; reactivated, 1982 |
| Foundation | brick |
| Construction | brick |
| Tower shape | conical tower |
| Height | 175 feet (53 m) |
| Focal height | 159 feet (48 m) |
| Original lens | first order Fresnel lens, 1887-1933 third order Fresnel lens 1933-1970 and since 2004 |
| Range | 17 nautical miles; 32 kilometres (20 mi) |
| Characteristic | fixed light (original) Group flashing 6 times every 30 sec (current) |
| Admiralty number | J2878 |
| ARLHS number | USA-644 |
| USCG number |
3-610 |
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Ponce De Leon Inlet Lightstation
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| Nearest city | Ponce Inlet, Florida |
| Area | 9 acres (3.6 ha) |
| Built | 1887 |
| NRHP Reference # | 72000355 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 22, 1972 |
| Designated NHL | August 5, 1998 |
3-610
The Ponce de Leon Inlet Light is a lighthouse and museum located at Ponce de León Inlet in Central Florida. At 175 feet (53 m) in height, it is the tallest lighthouse in the state and one of the tallest in the United States (the Cape Hatteras Light in North Carolina is taller at 207 feet (63 m)). It is located between St. Augustine Light and Cape Canaveral Light. Restored by the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association, the lighthouse became a National Historic Landmark in 1998.
The first lighthouse for what is now the Ponce de León Inlet was erected on the south side of Mosquito Inlet in 1835. Unfortunately, the oil for the lamp was never delivered, and soon after the tower was completed a strong storm washed much of the sand from around the base of the tower, weakening it. The Second Seminole War began soon after, and in December 1835 Seminole Indians attacked the lighthouse, smashing the glass in the lantern room and setting fire to its wooden stairs. The area was abandoned. The war prevented repairs from being made to the tower, and it collapsed the next year.
There were many shipwrecks along the coast near the Mosquito Inlet, but it was not until 1883 that another effort was begun to place a light there. Completed in 1887 and located on the north side of the inlet, the new lighthouse was based on Light-House Board standard plans with modifications made for the specific site. Construction was supervised by Chief Engineer Orville E. Babcock until his death by drowning in the Mosquito Inlet in 1884. The tower was completed and the lamp, which could be seen 17 nautical miles; 32 kilometres (20 mi) away, lit in 1887.
In 1897, author and journalist Stephen Crane was en route to cover a brewing revolt against Spanish rule in Cuba, when the ship he was on, the SS Commodore, sank off the coast of Florida. Crane escaped in a small dinghy with several crewmen, and they eventually sighted and steered for the Mosquito Inlet Light. Crane used this experience in his short story "The Open Boat".
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Wikipedia