Cape Canaveral Light

Cape Canaveral Light
	The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse in 2019, during a Delta IV launch.
Location	one mile inland from Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States
Coordinates	28°27′37″N80°32′36″W / 28.460355°N 80.543455°W
Tower
Constructed	1859
Construction	brick (backing), cast iron (cladding), granite (foundation), rubble (foundation)
Automated	1954
Height	151 ft (46 m)
Shape	truncated cone
Markings	1868: white ; 1873: black and white horizontal bands with white lantern room ; 1894: black and white horizontal bands with black lantern room
Power source	lard, kerosene, electricity
Operator	Space Launch Delta 45
Light
First lit	10 May 1868
Focal height	137 ft (42 m)
Lens	first order Fresnel lens (1868–1993), DCB-224 (1993–)
Range	24 nmi (44 km; 28 mi)
Characteristic	Fl(2) W 20s (1993–)
Original light
Constructed	January 1848
Height	65 ft (20 m)
Markings	white
First lit	1 March 1849
Deactivated	May 1868
Focal height	18.3 m (60 ft)
Lens	parabolic reflector (1849–1861), fourth order Fresnel lens (1867–1868)
Range	12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi), 3.5 nmi (6.5 km; 4.0 mi)
Characteristic	Fl W 195s, Fl W 60s, L Fl W 60s

Last updated November 14, 2023

The Cape Canaveral Light is a historic lighthouse on the east coast of the U.S. state of Florida.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] The light was established in 1848 to warn ships of the dangerous shoals that lie off its coast. It is located inside the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and managed by the Space Launch Delta 45 of the U.S. Space Force with the assistance of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. It is the only fully operational lighthouse owned by the United States Space Force.

History

The Cape Canaveral lighthouse was erected to warn mariners of the outlying shoals off its coast. Broken ground and shoals extend 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi) northward and northeastward of the lighthouse terminating in the Hetzel and Ohio shoals, which have a depth of 11 ft (3.4 m) and 19 ft (5.8 m) respectively. Hetzel Shoal is located about 13.5 nautical miles (25.0 km; 15.5 mi) NE of the lighthouse and Ohio Shoals about 2.3 nautical miles (4.3 km; 2.6 mi) southward of Hetzel. In a heavy sea these shoals are marked by breakers, but with smooth sea there is nothing to indicate their locality.^[7] The land is usually not visible from off these outer shoals. Located closer to the land are the Chester, Bull and Southeast shoals, which are about 4.5 to 7.5 nautical miles (8.3 to 13.9 km; 5.2 to 8.6 mi) off the coast of the cape.^[8]^[9]

First lighthouse

The current Cape Canaveral Light is not the first lighthouse constructed on Cape Canaveral. On May 21, 1838, the building of the first lighthouse at the cape was requested by Florida territorial delegate Charles Downing. Nathaniel Scobie was appointed as the first lighthouse keeper and oversaw the construction of the lighthouse. The 65-foot (20 m) tall white conical brick tower and keeper's dwelling were completed in January 1848 at the cost of $13,300. Its light consisted of 15 Lewis lamps powered by whale oil, each with a 21-inch (530 mm) reflector.^[10] The lamps were set on a chandelier rotated via clockwork.

During the Seminole War scare, Scobie abandoned the lighthouse, and refused to return to his post.^[1] Captain Mills Olcott Burnham (b. September 8, 1817) was appointed as the next lighthouse keeper in July 1853.^[5] Along with his position, Burnham was given 160 acres (65 ha) of land as part of the Florida Armed Occupation Act of 1842, a legislation passed to populate the state.^[11]

Sailors heavily criticized the white brick lighthouse with complaints that the light was too weak and too low to be seen before ships were on the reefs near the cape.

Second lighthouse

In 1860, the government approved the construction of a new lighthouse. However, the start of the American Civil War stopped the work on the new tower. The lamps and mechanism of the lighthouse were removed from the tower by Burnham and buried in his orange grove to protect them from Federal raids.

At the end of the war, construction resumed on the lighthouse. The chosen replacement tower was made with cast iron plate designed so that it can be disassembled and moved to a new location at a minimal cost, in case the encroaching sea started threatening the lighthouse. The conical tower was lined inside by bricks for stability and insulation. It was situated about 80 to 90 feet (24 to 27 m) from the location of the first tower. The new all-white lighthouse tower was completed in 1868, receiving a first-order Fresnel lens made by Henry-Lepaute and Company of Paris, France that was first lit on May 10, 1868.^[1]^[6]

The lower three levels of the tower served as the living quarters for the keepers and his assistants complete with kitchen, living room and bedrooms. The tower was designed to withstand flooding from storm surges that accompany strong hurricanes by making the entrance to the tower on the third floor, accessible by an outdoor stairway (the ground level door was later added in the 1930s).^[5] This was tested in 1871 when a strong storm submerged the station. The lighthouse and its keepers survived but the lamp oil and their drinking water were spoiled by the flood.^[10]

The white lighthouse tower was changed to its signature three black bands and three white bands in 1873, with the lantern room remaining white.

Soon after, the iron tower became unbearable to the keepers under the Florida sun and humidity. They built and stayed in makeshift dwellings on the grounds of the lighthouse rather than stay in the oven-like tower. In 1876, funds in the amount of $12,000 were appropriated to construct permanent dwellings for the keepers.^[1]

Relocating the lighthouse

By the 1880s, shoreline erosion was feared to be threatening the lighthouse, and the United States Congress appropriated funds to move the lighthouse inland. Initial work to move the tower was started in October 1893.^[10] A temporary 55-foot (17 m) square black skeletal pyramidal lighthouse was erected to keep that section of the sea lit during the move. The tower had a 4th-order lamp with a focal height of 57 feet (17 m) and a visibility of 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi).^[12]

The old tower (1848), which stood next to the new tower for about two decades, was blown up and the rubble was used to prepare a foundation for the lighthouse at the new location. The cast iron tower was dismantled, moved by a tram pulled by mules, and reassembled at the new location about a mile westward together with the keepers' houses. The move took nine months, and the lighthouse was relit at its new location on July 25, 1894. The 1900 Atlantic List of Lights indicated the color of the lantern room, which was probably painted during the move, as black.^[8]

William H. Peck wrote about his meeting with lighthouse keeper Mills Burnham of Cape Canaveral in the Florida Star newspaper in 1887.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 1931, the mechanical clockwork of the tower that was turned by descending weights and needed winding every hour or two was modernized and replaced by an electric motor.

Transition into a military facility

President Harry S. Truman signed the legislation titled Public Law 60 on May 11, 1949, that established Cape Canaveral as the Joint Long Range Proving Ground, a site for missile testing by the military.^[1]^[13] By this time, several small communities had developed in Cape Canaveral, two of which lies near the lighthouse: De Soto Beach to its north, which was located in the vicinity of Launch Complex 36 and Stinkmore to the south, located near Launch Complexes 17 and 5.^[14] When rockets began launching from the Cape in the early 1950s, all its residents, except the lighthouse keepers, were relocated to other areas. In 1960, the need for a keeper to live nearby was eliminated with the automation of the light.^[6]^[15] The keeper's homes were later demolished leaving only the brick oil house in the vicinity of the lighthouse.

After it was discovered that strong vibrations that accompany launches were loosening the prisms of the first-order Fresnel lens, it was finally removed in 1993 and sent to the lighthouse museum of the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light for restoration and display. The light was replaced by a DCB-224,^[6] a high-power searchlight that increased its range to 24 nautical miles (44 km; 28 mi).^[16]

Ownership of the lighthouse was transferred by the Coast Guard to the United States Air Force on December 14, 2000. In 2002, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation was formed and a memorandum of agreement was signed with the USAF.^[6]

Head lighthouse keepers

The following is the list of head lighthouse keepers that served the station:

Nathaniel C. Scobie 1848 – 1850
Ora Carpenter 1850 – 1853
Mills O. Burnham 1853 – 1886
George M. Quarterman 1886 – 1887
James M. Knight 1887 – 1893
John L. Stuck 1893 – 1904
Clinton P. Honeywell 1904 – 1930
Oscar F. Quarterman 1930 – 1939
A. Davis 1939 – at least 1941^[17]

Restoration

Since toxic lead paint was used to paint the lighthouse, a restoration project from 1995 to 1996 sandblasted the harmful paint off.^[1] The original copper lantern was also replaced with a galvanized steel lantern and was made into a lighthouse gazebo at the grounds of the Air Force Space and Missile Museum at Launch Complex 26 inside the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. A plaque mounted on a podium made from bricks of the 1848 lighthouse, was built to commemorate its dedication in October 1997.^[18]

In 2003, the oil house located in front of the ground floor door was restored to its original (1890s) state. Strong winds had damaged the roof in the 1970s. A window that was added to the brick structure in the early 1900s was also covered up during restoration.^[19]

During the 2006-2007 project, the structure was repainted using modern materials. The original copper lantern was repaired and restored to the lighthouse. The displaced galvanized steel lantern took its place at the lighthouse gazebo leaving just the original copper vent ball on its top.^[18] Ground sample tests taken in 2008 showed a very high level of lead in the soil around the tower, and visitors were kept 50 yards (46 m) away from the lighthouse for some time.^[1]

The lighthouse today

The lighthouse is open to public visitors and previously was a part of the Air Force Space and Missile Museum public tour. However, as of 2013 due to sequestration the Space Launch Delta 45 no longer offers a tour of the area. Currently, those seeking to visit the lighthouse, and nearby museum should book touring by the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation.^[20] Visitors may only ascend to the fifth floor of the lighthouse as the remaining floors have been deemed as a safety liability by the Space Force and require special access to ascend.

The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation and volunteers are instrumental in the restoration projects and in interpreting the lighthouse history. Future plans of the foundation includes the restoration of the three keeper's cottages for multipurpose use.^[21]

Related Research Articles

A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.

Cape Canaveral is a cape in Brevard County, Florida, in the United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Officially Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River. It is part of a region known as the Space Coast, and is the site of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Since many U.S. spacecraft have been launched from both the station and the Kennedy Space Center on adjacent Merritt Island, the two are sometimes conflated with each other.

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida.

Cape Hatteras Light is a lighthouse located on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks in the town of Buxton, North Carolina and is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The lighthouse's semi-unique pattern makes it easy to recognize and famous. It is often ranked high on lists of most beautiful, and famous lighthouses in the US.

The current Bodie Island Lighthouse is the third that has stood in this vicinity of Bodie Island on the Outer Banks in North Carolina and was built in 1872. It stands 156 feet (48 m) tall and is located on the Roanoke Sound side of a portion of a peninsula that is the first part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The lighthouse is just south of Nags Head, a few miles before Oregon Inlet. It was renovated from August 2009 to March 2013, and was made climbable by the public. There are 214 steps that spiral to the top. The 170-foot structure is one of only a dozen remaining tall, brick tower lighthouses in the United States — and one of the few with an original first-order Fresnel lens to cast its light.

Bald Head Lighthouse, known as Old Baldy, is the oldest lighthouse still standing in North Carolina. It is the second of three lighthouses that have been built on Bald Head Island since the 18th century to help guide ships past the dangerous shoals at the mouth of the Cape Fear river.

The Cape St. George Light is a 72-foot (22 m) high brick lighthouse which had originally stood for 153 years on St. George Island, Florida, until toppling into the Gulf of Mexico October 22, 2005. The pieces of the lighthouse were retrieved, and in April 2008, the light's restoration was completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Florida Light</span> Lighthouse in Florida, US

The Cape Florida Light is a lighthouse on Cape Florida at the south end of Key Biscayne in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Constructed in 1825, it guided mariners off the Florida Reef, which starts near Key Biscayne and extends southward a few miles offshore of the Florida Keys. It was operated by staff, with interruptions, until 1878, when it was replaced by the Fowey Rocks lighthouse. The lighthouse was put back into use in 1978 by the U.S. Coast Guard to mark the Florida Channel, the deepest natural channel into Biscayne Bay. They decommissioned it in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carysfort Reef Light</span> Lighthouse in Florida, US

Carysfort Reef Light is located east of Key Largo, Florida. The lighthouse has an iron-pile foundation with a platform, and a skeletal, octagonal, pyramidal tower, which is painted red. The light was 100 feet (30 m) above the water. It was the oldest functioning lighthouse of its type in the United States until it was decommissioned in 2015, having been completed in 1852. The light last installed was a xenon flashtube beacon. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Shoal Light</span> Lighthouse in Florida, US

The American Shoal Light is located east of the Saddlebunch Keys, just offshore from Sugarloaf Key, close to Looe Key, in Florida, United States. It was completed in 1880, and first lit on July 15, 1880. The structure was built to the same plan and dimensions as the Fowey Rocks lighthouse, completed in 1878.

The Dry Tortugas Light is a lighthouse located on Loggerhead Key, three miles west of Fort Jefferson, Florida. It was taken out of operation in 2015. It has also been called the Loggerhead Lighthouse. It has been said to be "a greater distance from the mainland than any other light in the world."

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.

The Ponce de Leon Inlet Light is a lighthouse and museum located at Ponce de León Inlet in Central Florida. At 175 feet (53 m) in height, it is the tallest lighthouse in the state and one of the tallest in the United States. It is located between St. Augustine Light and Cape Canaveral Light. Restored by the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association, the lighthouse became a National Historic Landmark in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Marks Light</span> Lighthouse in Florida, United States

The St. Marks Light is the second-oldest light station in Florida. It is located on the east side of the mouth of the St. Marks River, on Apalachee Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charity Island Light</span> Lighthouse in Michigan, United States

Charity Island Light is a lighthouse on Big Charity Island in Lake Huron just off the coast of Au Gres, Northern Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Cumberland Island Light</span> Lighthouse

The Little Cumberland Island Lighthouse is a privately owned lighthouse in Georgia, United States, on the north end of Little Cumberland Island adjacent to main Cumberland Island, in Camden County on the southeast coast of Georgia.

The Cape Romain Lighthouses are a pair of brick lighthouses on Lighthouse Island southeast of McClellanville, South Carolina. The lighthouses are on the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. The lighthouses were named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located within Fort Constitution in New Castle, New Hampshire, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Washington Light</span> Lighthouse

The Port Washington Light is a historical lighthouse in Port Washington, Wisconsin. Replaced by the Port Washington Breakwater Light and converted to a normal dwelling, it was restored with the assistance of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and currently serves as a museum.

The Gannet Rock Lighthouse is a Canadian lighthouse located on a rocky islet 8 miles (13 km) south of Grand Manan in the Bay of Fundy. It was first lit in 1831 and was staffed until 1996. It was solarized in 2002 and remains operational in 2023. It was declared "surplus to requirements" by the Canadian Coast Guard in 2010 and is no longer being maintained.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Cape Canaveral, FL". Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved on 2012-11-08.
↑ "Pub. 110, List of Lights" Archived 2012-03-15 at the Wayback Machine , pg. 121 (152). National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Retrieved on 2012-11-08.
↑ 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.
↑ "Cape Canaveral Light". Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society. Retrieved on 2012-11-08.
1 2 3 "A Living Light". Welcome to the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
1 2 3 4 5 (2003-01-03). "Inventory of Historic Light Stations, Florida Lighthouses - Cape Canaveral Light" Archived 2006-04-04 at the Wayback Machine . National Park Service. Retrieved on 2012-11-13.
↑ United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (1922). "U.S. Coast Pilot: Atlantic Coast Section D", pg. 122. Government Printing Office, Washington.
1 2 Office of the Lighthouse Board (1900). "List of Lights and Fog Signals on the Atlantic Coast of the United States, 1900", pp. 160-161. Government Printing Office, Washington.
↑ United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (1900). "United States coast pilot: Atlantic coast. Part VII. From Chesapeake Bay entrance to Key West, Part 7", pg. 40. Government Printing Office, Washington.
1 2 3 "Img_0338 (Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Florida heritage marker)" Archived 2013-06-18 at the Wayback Machine . Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Retrieved on 2012-11-08.
↑ "P1010026 (Photo Gallery - Brevard Museum Collection)" Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine . Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Retrieved on 2012-11-13.
↑ Office of the Lighthouse Board (1894). "List of Lights and Fog Signals of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the United States". Government Printing Office, Washington.
↑ Lethbridge, Cliff. "The History of Cape Canaveral Chapter 2". Spaceline.org. Retrieved on 2012-11-12.
↑ Lethbridge, Cliff. "The History of Cape Canaveral Chapter 1". Spaceline.org. Retrieved on 2012-11-12.
↑ "Historic Light Station Information & Photography - Florida". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved on 2012-11-13.
↑ Light List, Volume III, Atlantic Coast, Little River, South Carolina to Econfina River, Florida (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2012. p. 5 (39).
↑ Cape Canaveral, FL Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved 28 June 2016
1 2 (2012). "Lighthouse Gazebo" Archived 2012-06-21 at the Wayback Machine . Air Force Space and Missile Museum. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.
↑ "Oil House Restoration" Archived 2012-08-26 at the Wayback Machine . Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Retrieved on 2012-11-13.
↑ "Lighthouse Tours" Archived 2017-02-01 at the Wayback Machine . Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Retrieved on 2017-1-20.
↑ "Plans & Status" Archived 2012-08-08 at the Wayback Machine . Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.

External links

Air Force Space & Missile Museum for information about tours to the lighthouse
Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation
Historic lighthouse photos from Spaceline
Cape Canaveral travel guide from Wikivoyage

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[lf-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Cape Canaveral, FL". Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved on 2012-11-08.

[2] "Pub. 110, List of Lights" Archived 2012-03-15 at the Wayback Machine , pg. 121 (152). National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Retrieved on 2012-11-08.

[3] 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.

[4] "Cape Canaveral Light". Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society. Retrieved on 2012-11-08.

[living-5] 1 2 3 "A Living Light". Welcome to the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.

[nps-6] 1 2 3 4 5 (2003-01-03). "Inventory of Historic Light Stations, Florida Lighthouses - Cape Canaveral Light" Archived 2006-04-04 at the Wayback Machine . National Park Service. Retrieved on 2012-11-13.

[pilot1922-7] United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (1922). "U.S. Coast Pilot: Atlantic Coast Section D", pg. 122. Government Printing Office, Washington.

[ll1900-8] 1 2 Office of the Lighthouse Board (1900). "List of Lights and Fog Signals on the Atlantic Coast of the United States, 1900", pp. 160-161. Government Printing Office, Washington.

[9] United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (1900). "United States coast pilot: Atlantic coast. Part VII. From Chesapeake Bay entrance to Key West, Part 7", pg. 40. Government Printing Office, Washington.

[marker-10] 1 2 3 "Img_0338 (Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Florida heritage marker)" Archived 2013-06-18 at the Wayback Machine . Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Retrieved on 2012-11-08.

[keepers-11] "P1010026 (Photo Gallery - Brevard Museum Collection)" Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine . Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Retrieved on 2012-11-13.

[12] Office of the Lighthouse Board (1894). "List of Lights and Fog Signals of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the United States". Government Printing Office, Washington.

[13] Lethbridge, Cliff. "The History of Cape Canaveral Chapter 2". Spaceline.org. Retrieved on 2012-11-12.

[chapter1-14] Lethbridge, Cliff. "The History of Cape Canaveral Chapter 1". Spaceline.org. Retrieved on 2012-11-12.

[cg-15] "Historic Light Station Information & Photography - Florida". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved on 2012-11-13.

[uscgll-16] Light List, Volume III, Atlantic Coast, Little River, South Carolina to Econfina River, Florida (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2012. p. 5 (39).

[17] Cape Canaveral, FL Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved 28 June 2016

[gazebo-18] 1 2 (2012). "Lighthouse Gazebo" Archived 2012-06-21 at the Wayback Machine . Air Force Space and Missile Museum. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.

[19] "Oil House Restoration" Archived 2012-08-26 at the Wayback Machine . Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Retrieved on 2012-11-13.

[20] "Lighthouse Tours" Archived 2017-02-01 at the Wayback Machine . Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Retrieved on 2017-1-20.

[21] "Plans & Status" Archived 2012-08-08 at the Wayback Machine . Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. Retrieved on 2012-11-10.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]