Port Boca Grande Light
Port Boca Grande Light was first lit on December 31, 1890. It is a two-story frame dwelling raised on iron screw-piles, with the lantern placed in a cupola at the peak of the roof. The keeper lived in the lighthouse. A similar house (without a lantern) built next to it was the assistant keeper's dwelling.
The Port Boca Grande Light originally served ships transporting cattle from ports on Charlotte Harbor to Cuba. Phosphate ore from the Peace River area became an important cargo in the 1890s, and an extension of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad to Port Boca Grande in 1909 resulted in increased traffic. Ship traffic to Port Boca Grande peaked at more than 30 ships a day during World War II, when Port Boca Grande served as a safe harbor for shipping in the Gulf.
The Gasparilla Island Light was deactivated in 1966, and abandoned by the Coast Guard in 1969. The buildings quickly deteriorated, and by 1970 beach erosion had exposed the screw-piles supporting the building, with waves breaking under the building at high tide. Two rock groins were built to protect the lighthouse, and sand was pumped in to build up the beach. Lee County took title the lighthouse in 1972. On February 28, 1980, the lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Restoration work began in 1985. In 1986 the light was recommissioned. In 1988 the building and surrounding property were turned over to the State of Florida and became a state park. In 1999 the Historic Port Boca Grande Lighthouse and Museum opened to the public. It is considered an Aid to Navigation and the lamp room is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg Aids to Navigation Team.
Read more about this topic: Gasparilla Island Lights
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