Jupiter Inlet Light
Location | North side of the Jupiter Inlet in Jupiter, Florida |
---|---|
Coordinates | 26°56′55″N 80°04′55″W / 26.94861°N 80.08204°W |
Tower | |
Constructed | 1860 |
Foundation | Concrete |
Construction | Brick |
Automated | 1928 |
Height | Tower: 105 feet (32 m), above water: 153 feet (47 m) |
Shape | Conical tower/cylindrical tower |
Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place, Outstanding Natural Area |
Light | |
First lit | 1860 |
Focal height | 47 m (154 ft) |
Lens | First order Fresnel lens |
Range | 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) |
Characteristic | Fixed white varied by two white flashes every 30 seconds |
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse | |
Architect | John Nystrem |
NRHP reference No. | 73000597[1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | October 15, 1973 |
Designated ONA | May 8, 2008[2] |
The Jupiter Inlet Light is located in
The lighthouse was built on a hill once thought to be an Indian shell mound or
History
The point of land which sits at the junction of the
The lighthouse was initially designed by Lieutenant
A
The
By July 1940, the Navy's Radio Detection Finding Station, known as "Station J", came online. This secret installation was designed to intercept
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum
On January 11, 1972, the
The LRHS entered into an agreement with the Coast Guard to maintain and insure the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and to conduct regular public tours to the top of the lighthouse for the first time in 1994. The LRHS operated a small visitor center in the east end of the last remaining building of Station J, once used as living quarters for the military.
The LRHS, with a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation and in cooperation with the Town of Jupiter and the U.S. Coast Guard, started a major restoration project in 1999 to repair weather damage to the tower. It was completed in April 2000.
In 2006, in an agreement between the LRHS, Palm Beach County, and Town of Jupiter, the old World War II building in Lighthouse Park was renovated to become the new home of the Loxahatchee River Historical Society. On December 7, 2006, the history museum and society headquarters moved from Burt Reynolds Park to Lighthouse Park to become the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum. The LRHS also entered into a 30-year lease agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard to maintain and operate a larger portion of the land between the tower and the western fence line of the US Coast Guard property in order to set up outdoor history exhibits. Operations for the lighthouse and history museum are now in one location.[6]
The Loxahatchee River Historical Society today operates the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum. The museum is located in Lighthouse Park, 500 Captain Armour's Way, Jupiter, Florida. Check the official website for current hours of operation. Visitors can climb the lighthouse tower and visit the History Museum by registering for admission through the gift shop.
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area
The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area (JILONA) Act was introduced into the Senate by Senator
The JILONA site is the first Outstanding Natural Area (ONA) in the nation east of the Pacific Coast. Two other ONAs also protect lighthouses:
The JILONA is cooperatively managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and local partners: Palm Beach County, Town of Jupiter,
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- , enacted May 8, 2008
- ^ A Light In The Wilderness: The Story of Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and the Southeast Florida Frontier by James D. Snyder
- ^ Loxahatchee River Historical Society
- ^ "Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Facts" https://www.jupiterlighthouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Facts-and-Timeline.pdf on September 20, 2013
- ^ Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museumofficial website on September 20, 2013
External links
- Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum – official site
- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Florida". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
- National Register of Historic Places
- Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area – official BLM site