A New Birthday for the St. Johns River Lighthouse

If you wanted to know when the St. Johns River Lighthouse was illuminated for the first time, and you did a quick online search, you'd likely find the date, January 1, 1859. However, if you dug a little deeper as MLA Vice-President, Elizabeth Boggs, recently needed to do when asked to write text for a State of Florida Historical Marker, you would find print sources that list the date as August 1, 1859. So, which date is correct?

Recently, MLA has received confirmation that the St. Johns River Lighthouse was first lit on August 1, 1859.

This discovery comes from a published “Notice to Mariners” referenced in Florida’s Lighthouses in the Civil War by Neil E. Hurley, a respected lighthouse historian and retired Coast Guard officer. The notice provides clear, official confirmation of when the Lighthouse was first placed into service. As to why there are two different dates reported, Hurley explained in an email communication that the January 1, 1859 date comes from an 1858 Lighthouse Board report, giving the expected completion date of the Lighthouse. That date was later repeated in the nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places and then repeated in later articles. He went on to share that the Jun 30, 1859 report of the Lighthouse Board states that St. Johns River Lighthouse was one of three lighthouses that had been erected, but made no mention of it being lit.

This kind of finding is a powerful reminder that history is ever-evolving. Even what were once thought of as "well-established facts" can prove incorrect or incomplete as new sources come to light or older sources are revisited, deepening our understanding of the past and strengthening the completeness of the stories we share.

Below is the original notice, exactly as published:

NOTICE TO MARINERS

(NO. 28.)

EAST COAST OF FLORIDA.

REBUILDING OF LIGHTHOUSE

AT THE

MOUTH OF THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER.

FIXED LIGHT.

Official information has been received at this office from Captain W.H.C. Whiting, Corps of Engineers, Engineer of the 6th Light-House District, that the new light-house at the Mouth of the St. John's river, Florida, has been completed.

The Tower is the frustum of a cone, and is surmounted by a capital, watch room, and lantern. The color is reddish grey.

The focal plane is 75 feet above the level of the sea.

The illuminating apparatus is a lens of the third order of the system of Fresnel, showing a fixed light of the natural color, which should be visible in good weather from the deck of a vessel 14 nautical miles.

The tower is situated 1134 yards from the old tower, and bears from it S. by W. It will be lighted for the first time at sunset on Monday, the first day of August next, and will be kept burning during that and every night thereafter until further notice.

By order of the Light-house Board:

W. B. FRANKLIN,

Secretary

TREASURY DEPARTMENT,

Office Light-house Board,

June 11, 1859

With this new information, we can now celebrate August 1, 1859 as the true “birthday” of the St. Johns River Lighthouse. As August is often considered "Lighthouse Month" with the United States marking National Lighthouse Day on August 7th and International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend typically held the third full weekend in August, this "new" August 1st lighting date, gives us yet another excellent reason to celebrate our Lighthouse.

As we continue our work to relocate, restore, and return public access to the Lighthouse, moments like this highlight why preservation matters. It is not only about protecting a structure, but also about uncovering and sharing the full, accurate story of its place in our maritime heritage.

We invite you to follow along as we continue to learn more about this remarkable landmark and work to ensure its story is preserved for generations to come.