Historical Context
Stephen Crane highlights the Mosquito Inlet Lighthouse in his short story, The Open Boat. This lighthouse is located on Mosquito Inlet, now called the Ponce de Leon Inlet, between New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach. The travelers in this story, and the real life events that took place in Crane’s life (See Biography), started around Jacksonville – roughly 107 miles North of the Inlet. However, Crane and his companions were not the first to be helped by the Mosquito Inlet Lighthouse.
Mosquito Inlet marks the end of both the Halifax River and the Indian River. The first lighthouse was constructed for $11,000 on the south side of the inlet in 1835. Congress approved the lighthouse in order to help the trade market for local plantation and ship owners. Later that year, a violent storm damaged the 40ft. lighthouse and a few months later it was ravaged by a raiding party during the Second Seminole Indian War. Because of the damaged relations with the Native Americans, it was not possible to repair the tower and it eventually collapsed in 1836.
The Lighthouse Board repeatedly tried over the next 48 years until their request for $200,000 to rebuild the lighthouse, which was finally accepted by congress in 1882. This money was spread out over the next 5 years, slowing work on the lighthouse; this time it was placed on the north side of the inlet to prevent the loss of a second lighthouse. Work on the new lighthouse started in 1884 and the structure rose to a height of 175ft. The inner wall keeps a 12ft diameter leaving room for 194 steps in a circular staircase and the outer wall tapers in as it rises. The first-order Fresnel lens was then assembled in the lantern room and the light was seen for the first time on November 1, 1887.
Because the name Mosquito Inlet deterred people from moving to the area, the name of the inlet was officially changed to the Ponce de Leon Inlet. Unfortunately, in 1896 tragedy struck again when lightning hit the lighthouse, destroying the device used to summon a relief keeper. Two years later, the keepers were given signal books, a set of international code flags, and a pair of marine glasses so they would be able to communicate with offshore ships. A few years later, in 1933, the lighthouse was electrified and the lens had to be replaced once again. In 1939, the coast guard took over the care of the lighthouse until it became fully automated in 1953. The lighthouse was then turned into a museum in 1973, but it has since been outfitted with a modern optic lense and reactivated. The historical value of the lighthouse has continued to grow due to the efforts of the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse Preservation Association. Finally, in 2004, the third-order Fresnel lens was put back into the lighthouse to have a more historically accurate lighthouse. The lighthouse is still maintained today by the museum staff members.
Mosquito Inlet marks the end of both the Halifax River and the Indian River. The first lighthouse was constructed for $11,000 on the south side of the inlet in 1835. Congress approved the lighthouse in order to help the trade market for local plantation and ship owners. Later that year, a violent storm damaged the 40ft. lighthouse and a few months later it was ravaged by a raiding party during the Second Seminole Indian War. Because of the damaged relations with the Native Americans, it was not possible to repair the tower and it eventually collapsed in 1836.
The Lighthouse Board repeatedly tried over the next 48 years until their request for $200,000 to rebuild the lighthouse, which was finally accepted by congress in 1882. This money was spread out over the next 5 years, slowing work on the lighthouse; this time it was placed on the north side of the inlet to prevent the loss of a second lighthouse. Work on the new lighthouse started in 1884 and the structure rose to a height of 175ft. The inner wall keeps a 12ft diameter leaving room for 194 steps in a circular staircase and the outer wall tapers in as it rises. The first-order Fresnel lens was then assembled in the lantern room and the light was seen for the first time on November 1, 1887.
Because the name Mosquito Inlet deterred people from moving to the area, the name of the inlet was officially changed to the Ponce de Leon Inlet. Unfortunately, in 1896 tragedy struck again when lightning hit the lighthouse, destroying the device used to summon a relief keeper. Two years later, the keepers were given signal books, a set of international code flags, and a pair of marine glasses so they would be able to communicate with offshore ships. A few years later, in 1933, the lighthouse was electrified and the lens had to be replaced once again. In 1939, the coast guard took over the care of the lighthouse until it became fully automated in 1953. The lighthouse was then turned into a museum in 1973, but it has since been outfitted with a modern optic lense and reactivated. The historical value of the lighthouse has continued to grow due to the efforts of the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse Preservation Association. Finally, in 2004, the third-order Fresnel lens was put back into the lighthouse to have a more historically accurate lighthouse. The lighthouse is still maintained today by the museum staff members.
For more historical information visit: http://www.staugustinelighthouse.org/LAMP/Research/