St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum is a Visitor Must-See

Situated on the north end of Anastasia Island, separated from the Saint Augustine mainland by the Matanzas River, the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum has been guiding sailors since just after the Civil War.

The current St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum replaced an old Spanish watchtower that was constructed in the late sixteenth century, though it is uncertain whether or not the original tower, constructed from local coquina (shells), was used as a lighthouse by the Spanish.

However, when Florida was ceded to the United States, the watchtower was indeed converted to an aid-to-navigation structure. Beach erosion quickly threatened the stability of the tower, so plans were made to replace it. In 1871, construction began on a new lighthouse, which took three years to complete. The old tower eventually fell in 1880, but the new one had already been in use for six years. A Victorian-style Keeper's House was built several years later and was the home of many a head keeper's and their families.

The structure was updated with indoor plumbing in 1907 and electricity in 1936. The Keeper's house was electrified in 1925. By 1955, the St. Augustine lighthouse was automated and the need for keepers diminished. The Keeper's House was largely destroyed by a suspicious fire in 1970.

Care of the lighthouse was assumed in 1980 by a small group of women from the local Junior Service League, who promised to keep it open for public events and heritage tourism. Their restoration efforts resulted in the placement of the lighthouse on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. Today, the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum site consists of the 165-foot 1874 black-and-white striped tower, the restored 1876 Keepers' House, two summer kitchens from the late 1800s, a 1941 U.S. Coast Guard barracks, and a garage that was housed a jeep repair facility during World War II.

Now run by a community-based board of trustees known as the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, Inc., in 1998, the lighthouse was the first in the U.S. transferred from the Coast Guard and National Park Service to a non-profit organization. Previous to that, however, the Lighthouse Museum of St. Augustine was opened to the public in 1994. The museum serves several purposes. It tells the story of the nation's oldest port, it serves to preserve local maritime history and educate visitors as to the importance of the sea in the development of America, and also aims to promote the marine sciences to young visitors.

The museum also employs staff archaeologists who have uncovered a number of wrecks in the area and houses artifacts based on the history of the U.S. Coast Guard along the east coast of Florida.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the two young daughters of the man who supervised the lighthouse construction crew. They drowned in an accident while the structure was being built. Visitors interested in paranormal activity can sign up for the Dark of the Moon tour to learn more about the local ghosts. Others may tour on their own during regular operating hours.