St Augustine Lighthouse BW

This is the black and white version of the photo entitled 'St Augustine Lighthouse'. I visited the beautiful and distinctive black and white St... more

by Joan Carroll

Title

St Augustine Lighthouse BW

Artist

Joan Carroll

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

This is the black and white version of the photo entitled 'St Augustine Lighthouse'. I visited the beautiful and distinctive black and white St Augustine Lighthouse in St Augustine Florida in September, and one of my first thoughts was how the light keepers endured their work in the heat and humidity! One of the exhibits at the base of the lighthouse is a weighted pail, simulating the weight of a pail filled with oil to light the early lamps. You are invited to pick it up to see how heavy it was....and then imagine carrying it up the 165 foot tower! As you get closer to the top of the tower in your climb and you are huffing and puffing away, they have the a similar exhibit and you can really begin to sympathize with the keepers! The historic St. Augustine Light is currently maintained as active lighthouse, albeit as a private aid to navigation. It is owned by the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, Inc, a not-for-profit maritime museum. The current lighthouse stands at the north end of Anastasia Island and was built in 1874; it is the most recent of a number of towers built in the area. St. Augustine was the site of the first lighthouse established in Florida by the new, territorial, American Government in 1824. According to some archival records and maps, this "official" American lighthouse was placed on the site of an earlier watchtower built by the Spanish as early as the late 16th century. By 1870, beach erosion was threatening the first lighthouse. Construction on a new light tower began in 1871 during Florida's reconstruction period. In the meantime, a jetty of coquina and brush was built to protect the old tower. The new tower was completed in 1874, and put into service with a new first order Fresnel lens. The site also contains the lightkeeper's home, now maintained as a museum.

FEATURED PHOTO, Showcasing the South group, 2/10/23

FEATURED PHOTO, Black and White Images group, 2/10/23

FEATURED PHOTO, Abc Group - B Is For Black And White group, 9/30/14

Uploaded

September 16th, 2014