St. Augustine Light, Maritime lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida, United States.
St. Augustine Light is a lighthouse with black and white spiral stripes on Florida's Atlantic coast, rising about 50 meters (165 feet) above sea level. The tower stands near the entrance to St. Augustine Inlet, surrounded by a museum complex with historic keeper's quarters and a garden of native plants.
A Spanish colonial watchtower structure stood here until coastal erosion caused its collapse in the 19th century. The current tower, designed by Paul J. Pelz, began operations in 1874 and replaced the earlier installation.
The name traces back to the Spanish saint whose legacy runs through the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in North America. Visitors often spot the white tower from the water, where it serves as a reference point for anglers and boaters.
The climb of 219 steps leads to the observation deck at the top of the tower, from which you can overlook the ocean and surrounding area. Access to the top requires good physical condition, while the museum grounds remain accessible to all visitors.
The Fresnel lens inside the tower still rotates and casts its light more than 19 nautical miles across the Atlantic. This lens was assembled from over a thousand hand-cut glass prisms and remains one of the few still working examples of its kind on the American coast.
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