Submitted by Samuel Boyd
Coast Guard Auxiliary
April 20, 2020
The Amelia Island lighthouse turns 200 this year and is the oldest lighthouse in Florida that is still standing. It was first constructed across the St. Marys river on Cumberland Island in 1820. In 1820 that was the southern most point in the United States. Florida was still owned by Spain so the United States could not build it here. The very next year (1821) Spain sold Florida to the United states.
By 1838, shifting sands in our inlet made it necessary to move the lighthouse to where it was meant to be — Amelia Island. It was built on a high bluff that is 60 feet above sea level. Hard to believe but this is the second highest point on the Atlantic coast between the Florida keys and New Jersey. The sand dune “Nana” at American Beach is the highest.
The lighthouse was moved “brick by brick” to Amelia Island in 1838. So the lighthouse that was first built in 1820, was now on Amelia Island. The first lighthouse keeper was Amos Latham who was previously lighthouse keeper when the lighthouse was on Cumberland Island. Amos was a veteran of the Revolutionary War.
The builder of our lighthouse was Winslow Lewis who constructed most of the lighthouses in the United States between 1820 and the mid 1850’s. His patented light was used in US lighthouses until the mid 1850’s when a far superior lighting system invented by French physicist Augustin Fresnel was installed in US lighthouses.
Winslow Lewis got a bad rap for his inferior lighting system and light house construction. A fair criticism about the Winslow Lewis lighting system, but not about his lighthouses. Our 200 year old lighthouse is testament to that.
There is a published “illustrated map & guide to all Florida Lighthouses”. Part of their description of our lighthouse is as follows: “ Florida’s oldest and northernmost lighthouse first stood across the St. Mary’s River on Little Cumberland Island, Ga. It was constructed in 1820 by Winslow Lewis (1770-1850), a former sea captain who won contracts to build lighthouses all along the Eastern seaboard. The US government got what it paid for: most of Lewis’s cheap, shoddily built towers had to be replaced within 20 years. His patented lighting system of Argand lamps and reflectors, installed in all lighthouses after 1812 also proved ineffective. It wasn’t until the 1850s that US lighthouses were fitted with brilliant, prismatic Fresnel lenses, first used in France in 1823.”
“ Cheap shoddily built? “Need replaced after 20 years?” Excuse me! Our beautiful lighthouse is two hundred years old. Still standing and one of the few working lighthouses remaining. Winslow Lewis lighthouses were replaced because of two reasons. 1. They were built too close to the eroding shore line or 2. A need for a larger lighthouse. Our lighthouse was built on a high bluff giving the light an 18 mile viewing distance and immune from shore erosion.
For more information about the lighthouse please visit the lighthouse for a tour the first and third Wednesday of each month. Lighthouse keeper Chris Belcher will explain some of our rich history. Visitors can only come by bus from the Atlantic Recreation Center where you can purchase tickets or make a reservation. 904-310-3350. Also a DVD (video) can be purchased at the Atlantic Recreation Center. The tour is $5.00 and the video is $10.00.