Welcome to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and Museum
Ponce Inlet is on the same island as Daytona Beach
The lighthouse was originally activated in 1887 and stands 175' high.
This is the entrance to the light house.
The lighthouse tapers in from a 32' wide base to a 12' wide top.
If you've made it this far (the gallery) you have gone up 203 steps.
This is the beacon on top of the light house. It is said that it can be seen almost 18 miles out in the sea. The electric bulb powering it is a 1000 watt bulb.
Each lighthouse has its own characteristic light flash pattern. This one is 6 half-second flashes in 15 seconds followed by a 15 second eclipse (period of darkness).
The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse is the tallest in Florida and one of the tallest in the United States
Up on the Gallery level you are afforded some great panoramic views of the area.
It was really windy up on the Gallery Deck today due to an incoming storm
You can see here how the 203 steps taper inward as they go upward.
Elsewhere on site, there are additional displays. This is one of the two Kedge Anchors they have on display. They were utilized on logging ships in the Bahamas
This is the Oil Storage House. When the beacon was powered by oil it had to be carried up by the attendant from this building to the top of the tower.
The two black drums are where the kerosene was stored. The other items are examples of minor navigational tools.
This 1000 lb bell was mounted on a sea buoy at the entrance of Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. Bells like this were used as fog signals by the Lighthouse Service. This particular bell was sunk by a storm and was recovered in 1987 when it was donated to the museum.
This is the Lens Exhibit Building. The largest is the restored first order Fresenel lens that served on the Ponce Inlet lighthouse from 1887 until 1933.
First Assistant Keeper's Dwellings.
The house is made up like what it would have looked like at the turn of the 20th century
The kitchen is almost exactly how it would have looked when it was last utilized by the First Assistant Keeper's family.
The Generator Building was retrofitted with 2 electric generators to power the beacon in 1940. Before then it was used for storage and as a privy for the First Assistant Keeper's family.
Principal Keeper's Dwelling.
The majority of this building houses different displays.
One of the areas still in tact is the bathroom which was added in 1921 and offered indoor running water.
The Second Assistant's Dwelling
A vintage Lighthouse Service flag.
Uniforms worn by those stationed at the lighthouse.
The original privy house. It is now a Theater.
They also have a display of Cuban Refugee Rafts.
I found these to be quite interesting. It is amazing what people will do and endure for freedom.
I cannot imagine the terrors they faced crossing a wide open body of water on such small rafts.
If you are in the area, I highly recommend stopping by the lighthouse.