Charlotte Harbor Light

Charlotte Harbor Light was a wooden lighthouse in Florida featuring a square white tower with green shutters and a black lantern room. The structure stood roughly 37 feet (11 m) above sea level and held a Fresnel lens to guide vessels through the harbor's navigation channels.

The structure was built in 1890 using iron pilings and wooden materials to guide ships toward Punta Gorda Harbor. It was deactivated in 1943 and eventually demolished.

The lighthouse keepers maintained the fifth-order Fresnel lens and operated the boat winch system for essential maintenance operations from 1890 to 1918.

The lighthouse sat at the harbor entrance to assist navigation through deeper waters. Today, visitors should know that no physical structure remains and the site holds only historical significance.

In 1913, the structure was fitted with automated acetylene lighting, marking the end of manual keeper operations. This early shift toward automation made it a forerunner of how lighthouse technology would modernize.

Location: Florida

GPS coordinates: 26.77583,-82.14194

Latest update: December 14, 2025 14:25