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Come In!

When you step inside the picket fence, it is over 115 years ago. There were no roads or houses here. Everything needed to build this place had to come by boat. In 1887 when the tower was first lit, you could have bought an acre of land here for $40 or spent a week in our best hotel (meals included) for $10! Why do you think we needed a lighthouse here?

Climb The Tower!

Each evening, an hour before sunset, a keeper would climb to the lantern carrying the kerosene fuel for the lamp. He had to keep the lamp burning evenly all night, which meant lots of work trimming wicks, regulating air flow in the lantern room, and keeping soot off the glass. Can you identify the river, the ocean, the inlet and the four directions? Observe the weather like the keepers did. If you saw a ship in trouble, what would you do? Imagine it is 1887 and you have no phone.

Visit The Houses!

There were 3 keepers living here with their families, and these were their homes. Life was rough here. There was no indoor plumbing. You would use rain water for drinking and washing. Look in the windows of the Gladys Meyer Davis House to see how a typical family lived. How is your house different? The other two houses are museums. In one you will find artifacts from our early years and a model of how the light station was built. There is also a model of an 1835 light tower that stood on the other side of the inlet and was raided by Seminole Indians. It was toppled by the ocean and storms. In the Principal Keeper's House you will find out how shipwrecks and lighthouses are related, and you will see how mariners navigated their ships. Have fun with the hands-on exhibits!

Find The Oil House!

Why is this kerosene storage building located so far from the tower? Close your eyes. Can you still smell the oil? The keepers carried a 5 gallon can of kerosene up to the lantern room of the tower each night.

Be Dazzled In The Lens Museum!

How did a small light like a kerosene lamp become a big light that could be seen 18 miles out to sea? Huge Fresnel lenses were used to bend the light into a single strong beam. See a lens that rotates and flashes, and compare it to a lens with a fixed, steady light.

More Stuff!

Don't forget to see the boat yard, the nature trail, and the video theater.