Ponce de Leon Inlet Light

{{Infobox lighthouse

| image_name = Ponce Inlet Lighthouse 2018.jpg

| caption = The Mosquito Inlet Light, later known as the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light

| location = 4931 South Peninsula Dr
Ponce de Leon Inlet
Ponce Inlet, Florida
South of Daytona

| yearlit = 1887 (current structure)

| automated = 1953

| yeardeactivated = 1970; reactivated, 1982

| foundation = brick

| construction = brick

| shape = conical tower

| height = {{convert|175|ft}}

| focalheight = {{convert|159|ft}}

| lens = First order Fresnel lens, 1887-1933, Third order Fresnel lens, 1933-1970 and since 2004

| range = {{convert|20|mi|nmi km|disp=flip}}

| characteristic = fixed light (original)
Group flashing 6 times every 30 sec (current)

| coordinates = {{coord|29|4|50.22|N|80|55|40.86|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| module = {{Infobox NRHP

| embed = yes

| name = Ponce De Leon Inlet Lightstation

| nrhp_type = NHLD

| nearest_city = Ponce Inlet, Florida

| built = 1887

| designated_nrhp_type = August 5, 1998

| added = September 22, 1972

| area = {{convert|9|acre}}

| refnum = 72000355{{NRISref|version=2010a}}

}}

The Ponce de Leon Inlet Light is a lighthouse and museum located at Ponce de León Inlet in Central Florida.{{cite web | url = http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/light/ponce.htm | title = Inventory of Historic Lighthouses | accessdate = 2007-08-14 | publisher = National Park Service }}{{cite uscghist|FL}}{{cite uscgll|3|2009|5}}{{cite rowlett|fl}} At {{convert|175|ft}} 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 {{convert|207|ft}}).{{cite web | url = http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/park/hatteras.htm | title = Inventory of Historic Lighthouses - Cape Hatteras | accessdate = 2008-02-18 | publisher = National Park Service }} 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.{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=919898282&ResourceType=District|title=Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station|accessdate=2008-06-21|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422025517/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=919898282&ResourceType=District|archivedate=2009-04-22}}

History

File:Ponce de Leon Inlet Spiral Staircase (cropped).jpg

File:Ponce Inlet Lighthouse plaque01.jpg

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 {{convert|20|mi|nmi km|disp=flip}} 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".

The original lamp burned kerosene; in 1909 it was replaced with an incandescent oil vapor lamp. In 1924 a generator was installed to provide electricity in the keepers' dwellings and to pump water, replacing an old windmill pump. The lighthouse beacon was electrified in 1933 with a 500-watt lamp. The first order Fresnel lens was replaced with a third order rotating Fresnel lens at the same time.

In 1927 the name of Mosquito Inlet was changed to Ponce de Leon Inlet. The lighthouse was transferred from the abolished Lighthouse Service to the United States Coast Guard in 1939, which would oversee it for the next three decades. In 1970, the Coast Guard abandoned the old light station and established a new beacon at New Smyrna Beach. The abandoned property was then deeded to the Town of Ponce Inlet. At the urging of concerned citizens, the Town of Ponce Inlet accepted the Light Station property from the Coast Guard in 1972, and the Lighthouse Preservation Association was formed to manage the museum. That same year, the lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Present day museum

In 1982 the light was restored to active service, primarily because highrise buildings blocked the Coast Guard's beacon on the other side of the inlet. The Ponce De Leon Inlet Light Station was designated a National Historic Landmark on August 5, 1998,{{cite web|url={{NHLS url|id=72000355}}|title=Ponce De Leon Inlet Lightstation: National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination|date=February 1997|publisher=National Park Service}} one of only eleven lighthouses to earn this designation."[http://www.ponceinlet.org Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station official site]". Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association. Retrieved 2010-03-01.

The lighthouse and three keepers' dwellings have been restored, and are open to the public seven days a week. The lighthouse tower is open for climbing. The original 1867 Barbier et Fenestre first order fixed lens (installed 1887), and 1860 "Henry Lepaute" rotating first order Fresnel lens used at Cape Canaveral Light Station are all on display at the museum. The 1904 Barbier, Benard, et Turenne rotating third order Fresnel lens has been restored to service in the tower, which operates today as a private aid to navigation and is maintained by the museum staff. It is just south of Daytona Beach.

{{wide image|Ponce Inlet Lighthouse 03.jpg|800px|Panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean from the observation deck}}

References

External links

[https://www.ponceinlet.org/ Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and Museum]
{{commons category-inline}}

Category:Lighthouses completed in 1835

Category:Lighthouses completed in 1887

Category:Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida

Category:National Historic Landmarks in Florida

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Volusia County, Florida

Category:Museums in Volusia County, Florida

Category:Maritime museums in Florida

Category:Seminole Wars

Category:Lighthouse museums in Florida

Category:National Historic Landmark lighthouses

Category:1835 establishments in Florida Territory

Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Volusia County, Florida