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Cape Florida, FloridaHarbour
Lights Open Edition #432 If you visit the present-day site of the
Cape Florida lighthouse, you can almost imagine yourself traveling back in
time when the untamed wilderness met the shore, a vision that hasn’t
changed much over the years. Brown pelicans soar in groups close to
the water with wings almost touching the surface. Insects lazily buzz
around, feasting on the tropical vegetation and storms sweep the region
with ferocious intensity. It isn’t hard to envision what it would have
been like to stand on this very spot in 1825, when workers completed the
building of Cape Florida lighthouse. Cape Florida guards a dangerous stretch
of coastline, but the lighthouse also stands at the site of a historic
Seminole Indian battle. The Seminole tribe sought revenge against a group
of settlers who had killed their chief. When the case was dismissed for
lack of evidence, the disgruntled natives declared war against the white
man. On one fateful afternoon in July of 1836, the native Seminoles
attacked the Cape Florida lighthouse and its keepers. The two assistant keepers, John Thompson
and Aaron Carter retreated to the top of the tower as fire engulfed the
lighthouse. The two men had little choice; they could either stay inside
the scalding hot lantern room and burn to death or move to the outside
catwalk and be shot instead. To end the nightmare, Carter tried to jump to
his death from the catwalk, but was shot dead before he could get over the
railing. Thompson, in an effort to put an end to his suffering, rolled a
keg of gunpowder into the flames. It instantly exploded, extinguishing the
flames and collapsing what was left of the stairs. Thinking Thompson was dead, the Indians
plundered as much as they could fit into their canoes and left. The sound
of the explosion was heard twelve miles away, aboard U.S. Naval Vessels
Motto and Concord. The ships’ concerned crews sailed to the still
smoldering lighthouse and were amazed to find the lighthouse keeper alive,
although stranded atop the tower. It wasn’t until a full day later that
the sailors were able to successfully fire a steel ramrod through a gun,
tied to a piece of string, up to the gallery railing. Thompson gathered up the string and
hoisted up a larger rope, tied to the other end. Two sailors then raised
themselves to the platform and lowered Thompson to the ground.
Thompson’s horrific story has a miraculous ending; he recovered fully
and was appointed assistant Lightkeeper at the Garden Key lighthouse later
that same year. The replacement tower, established in 1846, has withstood the raging storms and violent battles and is now a popular destination for lighthouse lovers.
Other Cape Florida FL Lighthouses by Harbour Lights
[site/styles/BottomPage.htm] Photography by Paul
L. Brady © Harbour Lights |
