Lighthouse
| Photograph taken in 1978 | |
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| Coordinates | 18°18′9″N 65°13′7″W / 18.3025°N 65.21861°W / 18.3025; -65.21861Coordinates: 18°18′9″N 65°13′7″W / 18.3025°N 65.21861°W / 18.3025; -65.21861 |
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| Year first lit | 1886 |
| Deactivated | 1975 |
| Construction | 1882 |
| ARLHS number | PUR 004 |
| USCG number | 31685 |
| Faro Isla de Culebrita | |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Nearest city: | Culebra, Puerto Rico |
| Area: | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built: | 1886 |
| Governing body: | Federal |
| MPS: | Lighthouse System of Puerto Rico TR |
| NRHP Reference#: | 81000686 |
| Added to NRHP: | October 22, 1981 |
Culebrita Lighthouse (Spanish: Faro Culebrita) is the only remaining Spanish-era structure in the Culebra archipelago. Construction of the lighthouse began on September 25, 1882, and it was completed on February 25, 1886. The Spanish Crown built the lighthouse to help secure its claim over the main island of Culebra. It is the most eastern light outside mainland Puerto Rico. It guides navigation through the Virgin Passage and the Vieques Sound connecting in the Puerto Rico Light System with the Cape San Juan Light.
It was one of the oldest operating lighthouses in the Caribbean until 1975 when the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard finally closed the facility. The United States Coast Guard has replaced the lighthouse with a solar powered light beacon.
The Culebrita Lighthouse was registered on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on October 22, 1981; however, no work has been done to maintain the facility. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo caused extensive damage, and in 1995 the tower was destroyed by Hurricane Marilyn. The Culebra Foundation, starting in 1994, has tried to attract local and federal attention to save the lighthouse, but they have had little success. Presently, the lighthouse is in danger of collapsing.
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Famous quotes containing the word lighthouse:
“It is the cry of a thousand sentinels, the echo from a thousand labyrinths; it is the lighthouse which cannot be hidden.”
—E.M. (Edward Morgan)
“This lighthouse was the cynosure of all eyes.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)