Saint Marks Lighthouse, Saint Marks, Florida

Thanks to funding from SEA’s 2019 Elsaesser Fellowship, my Expedition continues...



Visit: www.CoastalWanderer.net for the complete project collection.

 The St. Marks Light is the second-oldest Lighthouse in Florida. St Marks Light is located on the east side of the entrance to the St. Marks River, on Apalachee Bay.


By the early 1800's, the town of St. Marks, Florida was considered an essential port of entry for shipping. The town served as the primary shipping port for the Central Florida plantations as well as some counties in South Georgia. Plantations transported their products to St. Marks via a small road which would later become the state's first railroad. With the onset of The Civil War In 1865, Confederate troops were stationed near the Lighthouse. The tower's lighting apparatus was eventually removed by Confederate forces to prevent its use as a navigation aid to Union Naval operations in the area. The Tower was damaged during a battle which would lead to its rebuilding following the war.

When the Lighthouse was rebuilt, the tower height was increased to its present elevation of 82 feet above sea level, and the original fresnel apparatus was replaced.
According to the rangers present, "the Lighthouse was fully automated in 1960 and remains an active aid to navigation for vessels on  Apalachee Bay."

The original Fresnel lens is intact and on display at the visitors center in the park.















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fort Pike

Image
SEA Elsaesser Fellowship 2019 Fort Pike Fort Pike, which was decommissioned in the 19th-century, was named after Brigadier General Zebulon Pike. The fortification, part of the third system, was built following the War of 1812 to guard the Rigolets pass in Louisiana . The fortification was established in 1819 to protect New Orleans and the Gulf Coast against British or other invasions of the United States. Fort Pike Looking East over Rigolets Pass Before Hurricane Katrina, the fort's structural integrity was already in decline. The storm surge of Katrina severely exacerbated the problems. Temporarily submerging the entire fort and destroying the adjacent state park buildings. The site briefly reopened in 2008, but, due to damage caused by Hurricane Gustav in 2008, the park was closed again but was scheduled to undergo extensive repairs and restoration work, however, following Hurricane Isaac in 2012, the fort was closed indefinitely pending repairs ...
Read more
Image
12/11/2018     And so It begins...AGAIN!  Today, I was awarded the 2019 Elsaesser Fellowship from the Sea Education Association. The  project is summarized as follows:  I have had the opportunity to travel the world by sea. A rare chance to see the world as our ancestors have experienced it, from a perspective very few in today’s society get an opportunity to experience. I have seen the islands of the Pacific and the related fortifications and remnants of conflict around the world. I have explored the British, Dutch and French fortifications, residences and lighthouses of the Caribbean and even the fortifications, lighthouses and abandoned research stations and shipwrecks of the Southern Ocean.  Traveling the world gave me a unique vision of the maritime history of the world, but my own country, I have minimal experience with.  The Gulf Islands National Seashore tells a unique story of the coastal history of the United States. The a...
Read more

Tower Dupre

Image
Thanks to funding from SEA’s 2019 Elsaesser Fellowship, my Expedition continues... Tower Dupre Tower Dupre was the inspiration for this entire project. I originally began developing this idea before Hurricane Katrina.  Conceived as an expedition to document the fortifications, lighthouses and historic properties along the US Gulf Coast, not so much out of fear for their loss, as I had never experienced such an event as "Katrina", but more so due to a keen interest in coastal history and how it helped to forge our nation. Following Hurricane Katrina, and the destruction she wrought on our coast, my interest became more focused on preserving history as it was, for the future generations. One specific fortification that has now been lost to history, entirely destroyed by Katrina was a gun emplacement in Lake Borgne on the Mississippi River approach to New Orleans. Built as a fortified two-story hexagonal tower guarding the entrance to Bayou Dupre from Lake Borgne...
Read more