This lighthouse is located near Key Vaca in Marathon, Florida on a mostly submerged reef. The lighthouse name goes back to the Spanish, and old charts show a small island at the spot, but by the later 19th Century the island had eroded away, with some parts of the reef exposed at low tide. As a result, the reef and the lighthouse have also been called Dry Banks.
The lighthouse was put in service in 1858, automated in 1960, and is still in operation. The foundation is iron pilings with disks, and the tower is a skeletal octagonal pyramid of cast iron. It is a 142-foot (43 m) tall brown painted tower. It has two platforms. The lower one, 15 feet (4.6 m) above the water, held water and fuel tanks, the generator (after the light was electrified), boat hoists and a workshop. The upper platform, 40 feet (12 m) above the water, held the quarters for the staff. The original lens, a first order Fresnel lens, is now on display in the Key West Lighthouse Museum. This lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in the Florida Keys, and was the last lighthouse constructed under the supervision of Lieutenant George Meade of the Bureau of Topographical Engineers.
Location: near Key Vaca in Marathon, Florida
Year first lit: 1858
Automated: 1960
Foundation: iron pilings with disks
Tower shape: skeletal octagonal pyramid
Height: 142 feet (43 m)
Original lens: first order Fresnel lens
Range: White 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi), Red 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi)
In order to get the correct coordinates, please choose which lighthouse this is:
A) Sombrero Key Lighthouse - N29° 21.323 W81° 49.112
B) Egmont Key Lighthouse - N29° 21.868 W81° 47.186
C) Cedar Key Lighthouse - N29° 21.478 W81° 47.386
To learn more about Florida Lighthouses, please visit the link below:
Lighthouse Friends, Florida Lighthouses: http://www.lighthousefriends.com/fl.html
Unless noted otherwise, all source material is from Wikipedia.