Amelia Island North Range Light

Last updated
Amelia Island North Range Light
Amelianorthrange.jpg
The 1872 Amelia Island North Range Lighthouse
Locationmouth of the St. Mary's River
Florida
United States
Tower properties
Constructed1858
Constructionwood
Shapesquare tower atop keeper's house
Markingswhite tower and lantern
Light properties
First lit1872 (rebuilt)
Deactivated1899
LensSixth order Fresnel lens
Characteristic F R

The Amelia Island North Range Light was built to mark a channel over the sandbar at the mouth of the St. Mary's River, which led to the harbor at Fernandina Beach, Florida, on Amelia Island. [1] [2] It consisted of a lighthouse and a front range tower with a light, arranged so that when ships could see one light above the other, they were lined up with the channel. During the Civil War Confederate forces removed the lenses from the lights. Union forces seized Fernandina Beach, Fort Clinch and the lighthouse in 1862.

Contents

It is known that the front range tower was destroyed during the war. There is no record of when the lighthouse was destroyed, but a new lighthouse was built in 1872. As the channel over the sand bar shifted with time, the front range light was periodically moved to maintain an alignment with the channel. In 1887 the rear range light was moved from the lighthouse to a tramway to permit proper adjustments to be made to the alignment. The light was decommissioned in 1899 after the channel was sufficiently marked with buoys. The lighthouse was listed in a survey in 1924, but has since disappeared.

See also

Related Research Articles

Nassau County, Florida County in Florida, United States

Nassau County is the northeasternmost county of the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2010 United States Census, the county's population was 73,314. The Census Bureau estimated a population of 88,625 in 2019.

Fernandina Beach, Florida City in Florida, United States

Fernandina Beach is a city in and the county seat of Nassau County, Florida, United States. It is the northernmost city on Florida's Atlantic coast, situated on Amelia Island, and is one of the principal municipalities comprising Greater Jacksonville. The area was first inhabited by the Timucuan Indian people. Known as the "Isle of 8 Flags", Amelia Island has had the flags of the following nations flown over it: France, Spain, Great Britain, Spain (again), the Republic of East Florida (1812), the Republic of the Floridas (1817), Mexico, the Confederate States of America, and the United States.

Amelia Island Island in the U.S. state of Florida

Amelia Island is a part of the Sea Islands chain that stretches along the East Coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida; it is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, and the northernmost of the barrier islands on Florida's Atlantic coast. Lying in Nassau County, Florida, it is 13 miles (21 km) long and approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) wide at its widest point. The communities of Fernandina Beach, Amelia City, and American Beach are located on the island.

Amelia Island Light Lighthouse in Florida, United States

The Amelia Island Light is the oldest existing lighthouse in the state of Florida in the United States. It is located near the northern end of Amelia Island in the northeastern part of the state. Its light marks St. Marys Entrance, the inlet leading to St. Marys River, the Cumberland Sound and the harbor of Fernandina Beach, Florida along the Amelia River. The white light flashes every ten seconds which turns red from 344° to 360° when covering the shoal water in the vicinity of Nassau Sound.

Crooked River Light

The Crooked River Light, also known as the Carrabelle Light, was built in 1895 to replace the Dog Island Light on Dog Island, which had been destroyed in 1875 by a hurricane. The location on the mainland allowed the light to serve as the rear range light for the channel to the west of Dog Island, used by ships in the lumber trade.

Dog Island Light

The Dog Island Light was located on the western tip of Dog Island south of Carrabelle, Florida. It marked the "middle entrance to St. George's Sound," between St. George and Dog Islands, during the nineteenth century, until its collapse by a hurricane in 1873.

Egmont Key Light Lighthouse in Florida, United States

The current Egmont Key Light dates from 1858. It is the oldest structure in the Tampa Bay area still used for its original purpose.

Gasparilla Island Lights Lighthouses on Gasparilla Island, Boca Grande, Florida, U.S.

The Gasparilla Island Lights are on Gasparilla Island in Boca Grande, Florida. The Port Boca Grande Lighthouse is on the southern tip of Gasparilla Island, and marked the Boca Grande Pass entrance to Charlotte Harbor.

Pensacola Light

The Pensacola Light is a lighthouse at Pensacola Bay, in Florida. It is the third iteration of what was originally a lightship, the Aurora Borealis, and remains an aid to navigation.

Baker Shoal Range Front Light

The Baker Shoal Range Front Light was a lighthouse in Delaware, United States, on the Delaware River at Port Penn.

Reedy Island Range Rear Light

Reedy Island Range Rear Lighthouse is a skeletal tower lighthouse near Taylor's Bridge, Delaware. The tower is an active aid to navigation.

Munising Front Range Light Lighthouse in Michigan, United States

The Munising Front Range Light and its matching Munising Rear Range Light replaced the ineffective Grand Island East Channel Light in 1905. These two lights combine to guide boats from the open waters of Lake Superior down the East Channel next to Grand Island into the harbor of Munising. The history of these lighthouses is documented by Terry Pepper and is not reproduced here.

Conover Beacon

The Conover Beacon is a lighthouse in Leonardo section of Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, that functioned as the front light of the now-discontinued Chapel Hill Range.

The Bloody Point Range Lights, which is known as the Bloody Point Lighthouse, were range lights on the southern end of Daufuskie Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina. The Bloody Point Range Lights were built in 1883. Due to erosion, the front light was moved to the location of the former rear light and became the rear light. The lights were maintained as an official aid to navigation until 1922. The original Front Range Light house is currently a private home.

Fort Sumter Range Lights

The Fort Sumter Range Lights are range lights to guide ships through the main channel of the Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The original front light was built at Fort Sumter and the original rear light was in the steeple of St. Philip's Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Both lights were lit from 1893 to 1915 to make range lights. Today the Fort Sumter Range is the main approach channel to Charleston Harbor.

The Miminegash Range Lights were a set of range lights on Prince Edward Island, Canada. They were built in 1886, and deactivated in 1972; only the rear tower has survived.

Wood Islands Lighthouse

The Wood Islands Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse built by Joseph Tomlinson III situated on the southeastern shore of Prince Edward Island, located in the community of Wood Islands. The lighthouse is a well-preserved three storey tower with an adjoining 1+12-storey keeper's residence. The white shingled tower is topped by a red iron lantern, which is enclosed by a white railing on the observation deck. The red roof of the dwelling provides a striking contrast to the white shingled exterior of the dwelling.

Grand Island Harbor Rear Range Light

The Grand Island Harbor Rear Range Light is a lighthouse located off M-28 in Munising Township, Michigan. It is also known as the Bay Furnace Rear Range Light, Christmas Rear Range Light, or End of the Road Light. The corresponding front range light was replaced in 1968; the rear range light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It is no longer an active aid to navigation.

References

  1. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Eastern Florida and the Keys". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved 2016-06-28.
  2. Amelia Island Rear Range Light Lightouse Explorer. Retrieved 28 June 2016