The US Navy established a base in Key West in 1823.   With a shipwreck per week happening along the treacherous shoals surrounding the island a warning beacon was critical.

While best remembered for his valiant command of the Union forces at Gettysburg, Brigadier General George Meade spent the early part of his career building lighthouses and this was one of the many in Florida.  Developing a new five wick hydraulic lamp to replace the complicated French lamp then in use, his design worked so successfully that it was adopted for use in American lighthouses.

The first lighthouse was constructed near the Southernmost point in 1825, unfortunately it was washed out to sea by the great Havana hurricane that destroyed 95% of Key West in 1846.

The second Lighthouse was built further Inland at its present location in 1848.  The brick Tower was initially 68 ft tall but in 1894 twenty feet were added making it visible to sailors for 15 miles.

The job of a Lighthouse Keeper was one of the hardest jobs to have in the 1800s and early 1900s.  Living at the Lighthouse working long grueling hours the primary duty of the keeper was to ensure the lamp was lit until the sun rose the following day, no matter what.  Fuel had to be hand carried whether oil or kerosene up the tight spiral staircase to the top of the tower each evening in containers that weighed approximately 40 pounds each when filled.   The keeper has to make sure the lantern wick was trimmed correctly and that the flow of fuel through the lantern was exactly right in order to provide a bright steady light.

The first Lighthouse Keeper Michael Mabrity died unexpectedly of yellow fever in 1832 and his widow who had been his assistant became the first female Lighthouse Keeper.

Walking up the 88 steps to the top of the lighthouse you get an expansive sweeping 360° bird’s eye view from the platform area of the entire Island.

The keepers quarters is now a museum that’s adjacent to the lighthouse on Whitehead Street opposite the Hemingway House.  Its  filled with historical memorabilia,  relics, and a great film presentation.

An iconic Tower at the end of Route 1.