Garden Key Light, Cast iron lighthouse in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, US
Garden Key Light is a 25-meter tall cast iron tower standing within Fort Jefferson's walls, topped with navigational equipment for guiding ships. The structure sits atop a stairwell and was built to replace an earlier lighthouse at the site.
An original brick tower was built in 1826 to mark safe passage for ships in the area. When Fort Jefferson expanded its walls, this was replaced with the current cast iron structure in 1877 to accommodate the fort's growing footprint.
The light guided ships passing through these waters for decades, helping captains navigate safely during their journeys. Mariners relied on its beam as a trusted marker of their position and progress.
The site is reachable only by boat from Key West, with the crossing taking around two and a half hours. Plan for a full day trip since the ferry schedule requires significant travel time each way.
This tower sits inside Fort Jefferson, which later served as a military prison housing Dr. Samuel Mudd after the Lincoln assassination. Few visitors realize the lighthouse and the fortress walls are inseparable parts of the same complex's history.
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