history

Stuck at Home: Virtually Visit the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

Stuck at Home: Virtually Visit the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

Jay Smith2020-03-28T09:00:17-04:00March 28th, 2020|

#LoveYourLighthouse Your St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is closed to protect you and your lighthouse family from COVID-19. While we are closed, we invite you to take virtual tours of the lighthouse and museum in the following YouTube videos. Your Gift of Love for our Maritime Heritage Makes A Difference. Donate today, or take advantage of deep discount opportunities by visiting www.staugustinelighthouse.org. Stay Safe and #LoveYourLighthouse Tour the St. Augustine Lighthouse with Head Lighthouse Keeper Rick [...]

Women’s History Month: Maria Andreu and Her Legacy in St. Augustine

Jay Smith2023-03-13T14:43:40-04:00March 20th, 2020|

The first St. Augustine Lighthouse, called the Old Spanish Watchtower, which became Florida's first lighthouse in 1824. Maria Andreu, wife of Head Keeper Joseph Andreu, became the first female lighthouse keeper of Hispanic-American descent in Florida when her husband died in 1859. To best understand the importance of women at the St. Augustine Lighthouse, we must understand that women have always supported the lighthouse keepers. They ran the household so that the keepers [...]

Ghost Stories: The Pittee Girls

Ghost Stories: The Pittee Girls

Jay Smith2023-10-31T14:00:52-04:00March 2nd, 2020|

By Kelcie Lloyd, Special Programs Manager Dark of the Moon Ghost Tours The Pittee Sisters After being darkened during the Civil War, on June 1, 1867, the Old Spanish watchtower once more became a functioning lighthouse with the return of its light. Nevertheless, it soon became clear that the structure would soon lose the battle with Mother Nature as the sea continued to erode the land around the lighthouse. After several reports to [...]

Smithsonian’s Because of Her Story: Mary Postell

Smithsonian’s Because of Her Story: Mary Postell

Jay Smith2020-01-30T10:15:03-05:00January 29th, 2020|

Mary Postell A freed slave after the American Revolutionary War, Mary Postell was born in South Carolina, enslaved again in St. Augustine, Florida, where she and her daughter were kidnapped, and then taken to Nova Scotia, Canada, by her owner in 1786. In St. Augustine and Canada, Mary tried to prove her freedom in court houses. Her story was written below for a presentation for summer camp students at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime [...]

St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum celebrates the 145th Anniversary of the Historic Tower

amy.gress2019-10-10T09:53:16-04:00October 10th, 2019|

St. Johns County residents receive free admission on October 15 with code JSL The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum celebrates 145 years of maritime history in the current historic, lighthouse tower. The second lighthouse at St. Augustine was built from 1871 to 1874 and topped by the first-order Fresnel lens from Paris, France. The first lighting was by Keeper William Russell on October 15, 1874. “The tower stands testament to a maritime heritage that [...]

PHOTOS: Anastasia Island historic photographs

PHOTOS: Anastasia Island historic photographs

amy.gress2019-08-16T14:41:54-04:00August 16th, 2019|

Historic photographs on Anastasia Island from the late-19th through the late-20th centuries.

PHOTOS: World War II U.S. Coast Guard photos in St. Augustine, Florida

amy.gress2019-08-15T14:09:16-04:00August 15th, 2019|

View historic photos of St. Augustine when it was a US Coast Guard station during World War II (1941-1945).

Frequently Asked Questions by Lighthouse Visitors

Frequently Asked Questions by Lighthouse Visitors

amy.gress2022-04-04T12:54:33-04:00April 30th, 2019|

Before You Visit Q. Can I climb the lighthouse? A. Yes, weather permitting, you can walk out on the observation deck and look into the lens room. For their safety, children must be at least 44 inches tall to climb. Q. Are there any restrictions to climbing? A. You must be at least 44 inches tall to go up to the top of the lighthouse. Children who are not tall enough to climb get in [...]

St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum welcomes Cultural Heritage team from Spain

St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum welcomes Cultural Heritage team from Spain

amy.gress2019-04-26T14:44:29-04:00April 26th, 2019|

From left: John Regan, St. Augustine City Manager; Manuel de la Cruz, Edriel Intelligence; Carlos Leon Amores, General Subdirectorate of Historical Heritage of the Ministry of Culture for the Nation of Spain; Kathy Fleming, Executive Director of St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum; Francisco Sanchez-Guitard, Edriel Intelligence and member of a Spanish boat building family; Leanna Freeman, Vice Mayor City of St. Augustine; John Valdes, City Commissioner, City of St. Augustine; Irving Kass, Owner of [...]

Minorcan cast net maker, Michael Usina, to be presented Florida Folk Heritage Award in April

amy.gress2019-01-23T15:35:48-05:00January 23rd, 2019|

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Michael Usina, St. Augustine native and Minorcan descendent, has been recognized recently by the state as a recipient of a 2019 Florida Folk Heritage Award. Michael Usina Usina celebrates his Minorcan heritage by crafting hand-made cast nets using techniques passed down by his ancestors who settled St. Augustine in the 18th century. Driven by a desire to promote Minorcan folk arts, Usina has shared this tradition in one-on-one apprenticeships, a documentary and [...]

We are open 9:00 am - 6:30 pm daily. Last admission at 6:00 pm. Free Parking.