Jay Smith - St Augustine Light House

Historical Preservation: Coastal Lookout Barracks Roof Completed!

Jay Smith2023-04-13T15:35:05-04:00April 10th, 2023|

The Coastal Barracks recently received a new cypress shingled roof. The funding for the project came from the Gene Oakes Grant Program of the Florida Lighthouse Association (FLA). The FLA is a non-profit organization that provides grants to support historic preservation, restoration and educational programs at Florida's light stations. The Coastal Lookout Building was built in 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The building served as the barracks for the United States Coast [...]

Collections on the Move!

Jay Smith2023-04-13T15:47:12-04:00March 28th, 2023|

Last year, the Museum purchased property as part of an organizational initiative to consolidate operations. The new property offers the Museum a permanent space to expand as well as a new home for our collection of documents and artifacts. The location also means that the building is safer from storms and hurricanes. Since the end of 2022, the Collections and Conservation teams have been working diligently to pack up and move over 20,000 historical artifacts, [...]

Junior Service League’s Legacy Remains

Jay Smith2023-04-13T16:11:15-04:00March 19th, 2023|

In 1970, a suspicious fire gutted the abandoned Keepers’ House located at the St. Augustine Light Station. The following year, St. Johns County purchased the property from the United States Coast Guard with the intention of demolishing the burned-out shell of the building. Enter the Junior Service League of St. Augustine and the idea of restoring the Keepers’ House as a museum and community center. The women of the JSL literally turned back the bulldozers, [...]

Muskets Added to Wrecked! Exhibit

Jay Smith2023-04-13T15:59:07-04:00March 19th, 2023|

The Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP) Conservation team installed a new case in the Wrecked! Exhibit. This new case replaces the Star Waters mannequin and features one of the muskets recovered from the Storm Wreck, the American Revolution-era shipwreck excavated in 2009. Other artifacts associated with the musket including flintlock, flint, shot and even some paper wadding are also featured. The team has recently installed a second musket in the exhibit. The muskets have undergone [...]

Pittee Descendants Visit the Museum

Jay Smith2023-06-30T14:41:30-04:00March 19th, 2023|

The Museum welcomed four descendants of Hezekiah Pittee, the superintendent over the construction of the St. Augustine Lighthouse tower between 1871 and 1874. The descendants made the trip from Tampa for a family member's funeral here and reached out to the Museum. The descendants (pictured to the left) sat down with Jason Titcomb, Chief Curator; Lee Capitano, Retail and Finance Director; and Rick Cain, Museum Operations Director to discuss the family's history at the St. [...]

A Letter to Santa from the St. Augustine Lighthouse

A Letter to Santa from the St. Augustine Lighthouse

Jay Smith2021-12-23T12:29:04-05:00December 22nd, 2021|

This December, the St. Augustine Record republished a series of Letters to Santa printed in the St. Augustine Evening Record from December 1921. Peter Willott, a reporter for the Record, worked with the staff at the St. Augustine Historical Society's Research Library to gather these letters. One of the letters came from little Eloise Malloy, the only daughter of Clarence and Agnes Malloy. Clarence served as the First Assistant Keeper of the St. Augustine Light [...]

Celebrate the end of summer with the Wrecked! Exhibit!

Jay Smith2021-08-30T13:02:48-04:00June 23rd, 2021|

Did you know that the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum's Wrecked! Exhibit is based around a shipwreck from the Revolutionary War? Check out our Director of Archaeology, Chuck Meide, as he gives a tour of the Wrecked! Exhibit. Access to the exhibit is included in general admission. Link to video on Wrecked! Exhibit Above: LAMP archaeologist working on a shipwreck. Above: Field school students actively participate in survey work as part of their training.

Thank You, Volunteers!

Jay Smith2021-04-25T12:28:10-04:00April 25th, 2021|

April is National Volunteer Month and this past week (April 18 - 24, 2021) was Volunteer Appreciation Week. This past week our Executive Director, Kathy Fleming, addressed our volunteers to thank them for their service, dedication, support, and hard work this past year. As you know, COVID-19 has changed the nonprofit landscape so much, but our volunteers and staff have partnered to keep our Museum's mission and work going even in the midst of a [...]

A “Grand” Grand Traverse Lighthouse Christmas

Jay Smith2020-12-16T11:53:25-05:00December 16th, 2020|

There are few accounts of Christmas at the Light Stations across the country. One of these accounts is from Bette McCormick Olli who grew up at Grand Traverse Lighthouse. Her story gives a eyewitness record of how Keepers and their families balanced family life with duty to keeping the light shining. We hope that you enjoy her account and remember that, even today, we have men and women serving across the world sometimes with or [...]

Boat Drawing Winner Takes Home a New Penobscot 13!

Jay Smith2020-12-03T11:02:02-05:00November 30th, 2020|

UPDATE: We have drawn our winner: Sam from Georgia! Congratulations! He will be coming this week to pick up his brand new Penobscot 13! A reminder that we still have a drawing for our strip kayak coming up in 2021! Check out our live drawing that took place on Wednesday, December 2, 2020, at 12:00 Noon: Penobscot 13 Live Drawing on Facebook Live! The faithful crew of Heritage Boatworks has been busy working on their [...]

About Jay Smith

Historical Preservation: Coastal Lookout Barracks Roof Completed!

Collections on the Move!

Junior Service League’s Legacy Remains

Muskets Added to Wrecked! Exhibit

Pittee Descendants Visit the Museum

A Letter to Santa from the St. Augustine Lighthouse

Celebrate the end of summer with the Wrecked! Exhibit!

Thank You, Volunteers!

A “Grand” Grand Traverse Lighthouse Christmas

Boat Drawing Winner Takes Home a New Penobscot 13!

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