What Is the St. Augustine Lighthouse?
Built between 1871 and 1874, this black-and-white spiraled lighthouse is the oldest brick structure in St. Augustine!
What Makes It Historical?
This has roughly been the site of a watchtower since the Spanish settlement of St. Augustine in the 1500s. The original wooden watchtower was replaced by a stone lighthouse in 1823, and that lasted until 1880 when it fell into the rising sea! Luckily for mariners, this 165-foot lighthouse had already been built further inland, designed by Hezekiah H. Pittee of Maine and constructed by Paulding, Kemble and Company!
Once completed and equipped with its First Order Fresnel lens, this unmissable lighthouse was both very visible by day and could be seen 19 miles out to sea by night! It was originally fueled by liquid lard, then kerosene, then, by 1936, electricity! While this greatly increased the brightness of the St. Augustine lighthouse, it became a liability during World War II, as enemy submarines could locate ships to sink when the light reflected off them!
The lighthouse had keepers who lived onsite from W.A. Harn in 1885 to James Pippin in 1949, and today their historic house is part of a museum. The lighthouse itself was automated in 1955, fell into disrepair, and was rescued from the bulldozer by the Junior Service League, who spent 15 years restoring the lighthouse and its lens, converting the grounds iito a maritime museum!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Become a member of the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum!
- Donate to the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
100 Red Cox Road
St. Augustine, FL 32080
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The lighthouse is open daily from 9:00 AM until 6:00 PM!