Florida Keys Reef Lights

10/12/2026

Who is going to be at the Florida Lighthouse Association's Fall membership meeting and & 30th Anniversary Celebration? Taking place at Anclote Key, November 6th-8th.
Register now...it sounds like a great time!

🔦 There’s still time to join us at Anclote Key!

Registration is open for FLA’s Fall Membership Meeting & 30th Anniversary Celebration, November 6–8!

We’re looking forward to a weekend with fellow lighthouse lovers, activities around Tarpon Springs, and a Sunday boat trip to Anclote Key Lighthouse. ❤️

Come celebrate 30 years of the Florida Lighthouse Association with us!

Click the link in the comments to view the full schedule and register!

Florida Keys Reef Lights

10/11/2026

October 11th marks the anniversary of the destruction of the original Sand Key Lighthouse as well as the lighthouse at Key West. In early October of 1846 a hurricane formed in the Caribbean, striking Cuba on October 10th, before heading north and striking Sand Key the morning of the 11th.
There were six people at Sand Key at the time of landfall, Keeper Joshua Appleby, his daughter Eliza Patterson, her husband Thomas, and their three-year-old son. In addition, a friend of the Patterson’s, Ann Petty Harris and her adopted daughter were also visiting.
According to an article in the Joliet Signal (IL), ‘Sand Key light-house is gone—totally disappeared with buildings connected with it. The occupants, too, have perished.’ The Guardian (London) went on to say that ‘Sand Key has almost disappeared.’
The storm went on to strike Key West. Numerous people joined head keeper Barbara Mabrity taking refuge in the Key West Lighthouse, at that time located at the Southernmost Point. The Joliet Signal reports that, ‘The Key West light-house and dwelling attached are entirely gone. [T]he spot where they stood is covered by a white sand beach. Fourteen souls perished in these buildings.’
The articles also report that, ‘The light ship in the N.W. Passage dragged her moorings and went to sea, but she was recovered and returned to her position.’
After what became known as the Great Havana Hurricane struck, the lightship LV Honey stationed at Sand Key from 1846 until 1853. The construction of the present light tower was overseen by Lt. George Meade, and first lit on July 20, 1853.
The Key West Lighthouse was replaced by a temporary beacon until it could be rebuilt on its new, present day, location. The new Lighthouse was completed on January 15, 1848, with Mrs. Mabrity, who miraculously survived the storm, returning as head keeper.
A light ship continued to mark the Northwest Passage until an iron pile cottage lighthouse was completed in 1855.

10/08/2026

Did you know that October is American Archives Month? Archives serve an important role in preserving and protecting our history.
In celebration, I thought I would highlight a few of the online archives I use when researching the history of the reef lights.
First up, and one of the more fun online collections, is the image archive maintained by the Florida Keys History Center - Monroe County Public Library (https://www.keyslibraries.org/keyshistory).
Be warned, this one is easy to search and you can spend a lot of time browsing their albums at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/keyslibraries/

10/06/2026

On October 6th. 1891, Mary Bethel was appointed Assistant Keeper at the Key West Lighthouse. She held that position, serving under her husband, William, until his death in 1908, when she was then named as Head Keeper.

10/05/2026

On October 5th,1836, just months after the July 23rd attack on the Cape Florida Lighthouse, Seminole Indians destroyed a garden on Key Largo used by the crew of the Lightship Florida (LV-BB), currently stationed on Carysfort Reef.
Less than nine months later, on June 26, 1837, Seminoles would again target the Key Largo garden; this time killing Captain John Whalton and one other crewman, and wounding two others.
(Image: Lightship Florida (LV-BB). Source: United States Lighthouse Society Candace J. Clifford Lighthouse Research Catalog https://archives.uslhs.org/node/4022)

10/02/2026

Ownership of Fowey Rocks Light, known as 'The Eye of Miami', was transferred to Biscayne National Park on October 2nd, 2012. Unfortunately, it seems the National Park Service has decided on a policy of 'benign neglect'...the lighthouse is not actively being torn down, but nothing is being done to preserve it.
(Image: Fowey Rocks Light (2021). Source: James Stein)

09/29/2026

On September 29, 1970 Cape Florida Lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places - NPS. The National Register is a program administered by the National Park Service listing our nation's historic places worthy of preservation.
While Cape Florida Lighthouse was not an efficient aid to navigation, it has a colorful history. It was the site of both an attack in 1836, during the Second Seminole War, and a raid by Confederate sympathizers in 1861.
Today the Lighthouse is administered, and preserved, by Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, with the support of Friends of Cape Florida, Inc.

09/26/2026

In the 1920's and 30's unmanned lights were built along the reef to mark local hazards. The towers of these lights, although shorter, are very similar to the six main reef lights.
As new technology came about these smaller lights were abandoned as aids to navigation; their lanterns removed and towers either demolished or used as other purposes, such as platforms for weather instruments.
At this point Tennessee Reef is the only one that still has its original lantern room. Tennessee Reef Light was first lit on September 26th, 1933. The light is a hexagonal, pyramidal skeleton tower. Standing at 49’, it was illuminated with a fourth order Fresnel lens and showed a flashing white light.

09/24/2026

Mary Bethel served as the 10th, and last, Head Keeper at the Key West Lighthouse. Born Mary Elizabeth Sands on July 16, 1854, in Eleuthera, Bahamas, she married William Bethel in Key West, on April 17, 1874.
William Bethel became the Head Keeper at the Key West Lighthouse on June 17th, 1889. Mary was appointed Assistant Keeper on October 6th. 1891. She served as Assistant Keeper until she took over as Head Keeper upon the death of her husband in 1908. Her son, Merrill, would serve as her assistant.
Ms. Bethel retired from the lighthouse service in 1914 and lived in Key West until her death on September 24th, 1941, aged 87. She is buried in the Key West Cemetery (Lot 206, Tract 6).

09/22/2026

Great history from the Florida Lighthouse Association!

Building a lighthouse is challenging enough.

Now imagine building one in eight feet of water on a reef.

The Sombrero Key Light, located offshore of Marathon, was first illuminated on March 17, 1858. The cast-iron skeletal tower was built under the direction of Lieutenant George G. Meade and originally held a first-order Fresnel lens.

Its foundation was an impressive feat of engineering. Iron piles were driven into the rock beneath the reef and braced together to support the tower above the water.

More than 160 years later, Sombrero Key Light remains one of the unmistakable silhouettes of the Florida Keys.

Could you imagine being a lighthouse keeper stationed out there?