The Pensacola Light is a

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

Pensacola Bay Pensacola Bay is a bay located in the northwestern part of Florida, United States, known as the Florida Panhandle. The bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, is located in Escambia County and Santa Rosa County, adjacent to the city of Pensac ...

, in Florida. It is the third iteration of what was originally a

lightship A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. It is used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the ...

, the ''Aurora Borealis,'' and remains an aid to navigation.

History

The first Pensacola Light was the lightship ''Aurora Borealis''. It was moved to Pensacola in 1823 from its previous post at the mouth of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

after a lighthouse had been completed there. Because of frequent rough seas, the lightship had to be anchored inside the bay entrance, behind

Santa Rosa Island Santa Rosa Island may refer to: *Santa Rosa Island (California), one of the Channel Islands *Santa Rosa Island (Florida) **Battle of Santa Rosa Island The Battle of Santa Rosa Island (October 9, 1861) was an unsuccessful Confederate attempt to ...

, and could not reliably be seen from ships outside the bay.

Tower

In 1825 a tower was built on a

bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...

at the south entrance to

. This light was also partially obscured by trees close to the tower and on Santa Rosa Island. In 1858 a new tower was built on the north side of the bay entrance, and was lit on January 1, 1859. The new, and current, tower is tall, and also sits on a bluff located on the

Pensacola Naval Air Station Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United Sta ...

, placing the light above sea level. Pensacola Light 2017

The new location allowed the tower to serve as the rear range light marking the passage across the

Pensacola Bar Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which had ...

. Little is known of the first front range light. In 1879 a new front range beacon was erected southeast of the light tower. This light, known as the Pensacola Bar Beacon, was a square pyramidal wooden tower, tall, sitting on a point above sea level, so that the light was above the water. It had a sixth order

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...

, and showed a fixed white light visible for . The Pensacola Bar Beacon was removed from service and demolished some time in the early 1900s. At the start of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

was controlled by

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

forces, while

Fort Pickens Fort Pickens is a historic pentagonal United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. It is the largest of four forts built to defend Pensacol ...

across the bay remained in Union hands. Confederate authorities removed the lens from the lighthouse, and most of the lighthouse supplies were requisitioned for the war effort. In November 1861 an

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

duel between the two forces damaged the lighthouse tower. Confederate forces later evacuated Pensacola, and were replaced by Union forces. In 1863 the Pensacola Light was relit using a fourth-order

. A new first-order lens was placed in the tower in 1869. The tower was all white during the Civil War. Later, the upper two-thirds of the tower was painted black. Electricity was introduced to the lighthouse in 1939, eliminating the need to rewind the light rotation clockworks every 4½ hours. The light was automated in 1965. The lighthouse tower and associated buildings were placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1974. In 1989, the lighthouse and keeper's quarters were listed in ''A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture'', published by the

University of Florida Press A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

.''A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture'', 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 7,

Present day

The Pensacola Light remains an active aid to navigation. The

Coast Guard Auxiliary The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGAUX, CGAux, or USCG Aux) is the uniformed, civilian volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard. Congress established the military organization, unit on 23 June 1939, as the United States Coa ...

Flotilla 17 had provided tours of the lighthouse, but they were discontinued in 2007. As of 2009, the lighthouse reopened on a limited basis for public tours, and since early 2011 it has been open 7 days a week. Maintenance and tour operations are currently conducted by the

Pensacola Lighthouse Association Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

. The 1869 keeper's quarters, adjacent to the lighthouse tower, houses a museum and gift shop also administered by the Pensacola Lighthouse Association. The Association is a

501 (c) 3 A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

non-profit, with a small staff and a large volunteer base.Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum
/ref>

Notes

References

*McCarthy, Kevin M. (1990). ''Florida Lighthouses'', Paintings by William L. Trotter,

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

Press. .
National Park Service Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Florida Lighthouses
- retrieved February 3, 2006 *

- retrieved February 3, 2006

- retrieved February 3, 2006
Lighthouse Depot - Pensacola Bar Beacon
- retrieved February 7, 2006

External links

Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum
- official site
Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)
Survey number HABS FL-147 {{Authority control , additional=Q108556165,Q108556095,Q108556297,Q108556165 Lighthouses completed in 1825 Lighthouses completed in 1859 Buildings and structures in Pensacola, Florida Lighthouses in Florida Pensacola metropolitan area National Register of Historic Places in Escambia County, Florida Museums in Pensacola, Florida Lighthouse museums in Florida History museums in Florida 1825 establishments in Florida Territory Transportation buildings and structures in Escambia County, Florida