The Lighthouse That Watches the Sea
The black-and-white St. Augustine Lighthouse was first lit in 1874. Beneath the nearby waves, archaeologists study shipwrecks, including one believed lost on the last day of 1782. Documented history
Every lighthouse is a warning. The question is: what is it warning you about?
The coast around St. Augustine is shallow, shifting and full of sandbars. Long before the current tower, the Spanish kept a wooden watchtower on Anastasia Island to spot approaching ships. An earlier coquina lighthouse stood near the shore until erosion brought it down.
The lighthouse you see today was first lit in 1874. Its black-and-white spiral and red lantern room are not decoration: lighthouses were painted in distinct patterns, called daymarks, so sailors could tell them apart in daylight.
Mysteries under the water
The lighthouse museum runs a maritime archaeology program that searches the waters off St. Augustine. Its divers have studied a shipwreck believed to be one of the vessels lost on December 31, 1782, as British Loyalists evacuated Charleston near the end of the American Revolution. Cannons, cauldrons and everyday objects have come up from the sand.
The keepers
For decades, keepers and their families lived beside the tower, hauling fuel up the stairs and keeping the light burning every night. Their work was quiet, repetitive and lifesaving.
Your mission
Find the lighthouse from a distance (it's visible across the water from the bayfront). Count the black stripes, then ask: why would a ship's captain need to recognize this tower in daylight?
Plan it
- St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum tickets
- Sunset and dolphin boat cruises
- Explore it on a Since 1565 adventure
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Historical basis: St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum; Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP). Hours and prices change; confirm before visiting. See all sources.