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Lighthouse History

Archaeologists + Dating = Success Through Collaboration

2018-02-21T14:48:12-05:00February 21st, 2018|

The past three months have been very busy for our Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP) archaeologists. They have been analyzing artifacts discovered on the Museum property during last summer's construction of the new Maritime Archaeology & Education Center, as well as sites through St. Johns and Flagler Counties uncovered during the storms. Our analysis started by contacting Dr. Lee Newsom, a Professor of Anthropology at Flagler College. Dr. Newsom is an expert in examining preserved plant remains from [...]

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During the season of giving, Junior Service League of St. Augustine donated $9k to St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

2018-01-27T10:35:17-05:00January 27th, 2018|

Donation important now more than ever as WWII Barracks restoration project is delayed and looking for more donors to jumpstart the restoration process this year ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – On December 27th, the outgoing president of the Junior Service League of St. Augustine (JSL), Katey Anderson, presented a check for $9k to the Museum. It is a continuation of a supportive partnership created over thirty-five years ago with the initiation of a “Save the Lighthouse” [...]

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Unique research, conservation and visitor lab space opens at St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

2017-10-04T15:01:25-04:00October 4th, 2017|

Museum opens new Maritime Archaeology & Education Center as part of the progress of the Maritime Heritage Park ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – On Thursday, September 28th the Museum celebrated a project twenty years in the making with the opening of a new building that houses an education and exhibit space as well as conservation labs, research library, an x-ray room and offices. Over one hundred people including elected officials, the Museum’s Board of Trustees, Museum [...]

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Keepers of the Light

2017-03-29T08:00:49-04:00March 29th, 2017|

Keepers of the Light Alphonso Daniels, 2nd Assistant Keeper, 1928 St. Augustine Lighthouse When you think about lighthouse keepers, what comes to mind? Maybe it is long, lonely nights dutifully keeping the lamps burning for ships unseen. Alternatively, perhaps it is a long day spent painting the lighthouse tower. Lighthouse keeping meant a hard life, especially as we think about it today. Who do you imagine did these tasks? During the lighthouse boom [...]

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Are you ready to get “Enlightened”?

2017-01-12T09:46:59-05:00January 12th, 2017|

Presenting Enlightened! A New St. Augustine Lighthouse Educational Program Have you ever wondered about the history and science behind the St. Augustine Lighthouse? Well, wonder no more! We are going to take you along on an exploration of all the amazing things we do here at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum in our new YouTube series, Enlightened! Enlightened is a way for us to share more with you -- more stories, more history, [...]

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Conservators Puzzle a Concrete Mystery

2016-11-23T08:00:32-05:00November 23rd, 2016|

While waiting for the new conservation building to begin construction, the staff has been cleaning up around the old and new work sites. In the process, Starr found something pretty interesting. She was sweeping up in front of the World War 2 era garage and noticed a number of markings in the concrete. The markings are all last names and dates they were written in the concrete. So far we can read: Muller, Warren, French [...]

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What’s in a Collection? Grand Army of the Republic Button

2023-03-28T12:44:58-04:00October 5th, 2016|

In this blog post we are taking a closer look at an artifact recovered from archaeological investigations at the Lighthouse in 1996. The small object pictured is a domed brass button with the letter G, A and R artistically embossed on the surface.  The letter GAR refers to the Grand Army of the Republic. Front face of the GAR button.   For those unfamiliar with this organization GAR was founded in Illinois, 1866 by [...]

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The Lamplighters

2016-08-17T08:00:56-04:00August 17th, 2016|

Lighthouses conjure up romantic images of windswept shorelines and the intrepid keepers who maintained the light through the night. However, by the mid-20th century, technology conspired to eliminate the light keepers’ responsibilities. Electric bulbs replaced the glow of oil lanterns; electric motors made the clockwork mechanism that turned the lens obsolete. Photocells, like the kind you find on the tops of streetlights around the country, now turned the light on and off. And in 1955, [...]

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Immigrant Light Keepers

2016-07-20T08:00:07-04:00July 20th, 2016|

Located in New Jersey, at the mouth of New York Harbor, the Sandy Hook Lighthouse was visible to immigrants on their way to Ellis Island (courtesy of the Library of Congress). The connection between lighthouses and immigrants to the United States is inescapable. Dotting the coastline, the bright beacons were often the first sight of land for many people hoping to find opportunity and freedom in a new land. For some of these immigrants, [...]

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Research Reveals Two New Keepers

2016-06-22T08:00:07-04:00June 22nd, 2016|

The “Old Spanish Watchtower” after 1824 Historically, the list of known lighthouse keepers for the St. Augustine Lighthouse has begun with Juan Andreu in 1824, when the United States took over the Florida territory and converted an old watchtower into a US lighthouse. Juan Andreu became light keeper at that time and served until 1845. However, research has revealed two new names to add to the beginning of the list, before even Juan [...]

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