Ponce de Leon Inlet Light, Lighthouse in Ponce Inlet, Florida, United States
Ponce de Leon Inlet Light is a lighthouse in Ponce Inlet, Florida, standing on the Atlantic coast south of Daytona Beach. The brick tower reaches 175 feet (53 m) in height and is surrounded by several historic support buildings, including three former keeper's cottages and an oil house.
The first tower on the inlet's south side was finished in 1835, but its lamp oil never arrived, a storm undermined its base, and Seminole attackers burned its wooden stairs; it collapsed in 1836. The present tower, built on the north side from Light-House Board standard plans, was supervised by engineer Orville E. Babcock until his drowning in the inlet in 1884, and its lamp was lit in 1887. The Coast Guard abandoned the station in 1970 and the light returned to service in 1982.
The inlet was called Mosquito Inlet until 1927, when it was renamed Ponce de León Inlet; the station took the new name. The tower is painted a solid reddish-orange, not brick-faced, with a white-ringed gallery and a glazed lantern room at the top. The keepers' dwellings now hold museum exhibits.
The site opens daily and includes a museum with maritime exhibits as well as access to the tower top via 203 steps. Those climbing the spiral staircase should wear sturdy footwear and take regular breaks, as the ascent is physically demanding.
The tower holds a restored 1904 Barbier, Bénard et Turenne third-order rotating Fresnel lens, back in service as a private aid to navigation. The museum also displays the 1867 Barbier et Fenestre first-order fixed lens installed in 1887 and an 1860 Henry Lepaute rotating first-order lens from Cape Canaveral Light Station.
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