St Augustine Lighthouse, Florida History, Travel Information, Facts And More
St Augustine Lighthouse, Florida
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PERSONAL INFORMATION
NAME
St Augustine Lighthouse, Florida
COUNTRY
America
ADDRESS
Red Cox Dr, St. Augustine, FL 32080, United States
ST AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE, FLORIDA PICTURE
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About St Augustine Lighthouse, Florida
The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum serves as a scenic and educational experience. Tourists can climb up to the top for a spectacular view of the city and the ocean. It is still an active aid to navigation and a Smithsonian Affiliate. It remains a site of attraction to tourists as well as locals, for the architecture, history and rumors of being haunted and very active for paranormal activities.
Some Lesser Known Facts About St Augustine Lighthouse, Florida
- Initially, the lighthouse was a wooden watchtower. It was constructed by Spaniards in the late 1500s. It was built in order to protect their area from invaders. In 1586, this watchtower was burned to the ground by Sir Francis Drake during an attack. Later, a new tower was built on the site in 1683 from the ruins of a stone chapel. This lighthouse lasted 200 years, however, it fell to shoreline erosion in 1880.
- The current tower was built further inland, many yards off to prevent erosion, in the year 1874. The Fresnel lens originally was established in 1874 is 12 feet tall, 6 feet across. It is composed of 370 hand-cut prisms and is still in use today!
- The Keeper's House is situated right next to the lighthouse was built in 1876 to provide living quarters for the families of those who kept watch. It now serves as the St. Augustine Lighthouse Museum.
- The site soon turned into a place of tragedy and grief when Hezekiah Pittee, the man appointed as the head of construction for the Lighthouse, lost his 2 daughters in an accident. The girls, along with the daughter of a construction worker, were playing and riding a construction cart as a Victorian era rollercoaster, to the water and back up the site to ride again. One time, the cart flipped and fell into the water, trapping the 3 young girls underneath and as a result, they died of drowning.
- Guests have reported hearing disembodied laughter and a little girl giggling. There have also been reports of door-locks locking and unlocking by themselves, as if a child was playing with it. The lighthouse is considered very active, and a hotbed for paranormal activities.
- Another unfortunate accident took place in the year 1859. Light Keeper Joseph Andreu lost his life while he was painting the tower and fell down about 60 feet, due to an error in the scaffolding. Some have claimed to witness an apparition at the top of the lighthouse along with the sound of footsteps as if someone was walking up and down the stairs.
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