The River of May, or the Riviere du Mai as
coined by French
explorers in mid-1500, is a prominent waterway connecting the town of
Jacksonville with the Atlantic Ocean. Before dredging and jetties smoothed
the turbulent waves, ships frequently wrecked at the mouth of this river.
Aptly named the “River of Currents” by the Spanish, mariners had great
difficulty navigating the channel without assistance. Early in its
history, the Lighthouse Board recognized this river as a prime candidate
for a beacon.
Standing atop a sandy promontory, the first St. Johns River lighthouse was
completed in the spring of 1830 and provided guidance from its combination
of lanterns and reflectors. Built with the finest masonry tools and labor
available, the tower appeared to be impenetrable. However, no mortar
building can survive when the ground beneath it is eroding. Within three
short years, the lighthouse leaned precariously towards the river. The
entire structure was disassembled, the lighting apparatus saved for a new
tower, and the bricks auctioned off to locals.
Officials learned an expensive lesson, an error they didn’t want repeated.
So they selected
a more protected site about a mile up the river, erecting a conical tower
just a bit further inland. With the lanterns in place and mariners
appeased, it appeared as though the problem had been solved. Immediately,
two powerful hurricanes hit the sentinel, but it survived with little
damage. However, strong gales and rapid tides kept chipping away at the
sand, destroying the beacon, now at the water’s edge.
With the building of the third tower, workers were not going to take any
chances! The historic Mayport Lighthouse, now named for its location at
the Mayport Naval Air Station, was lighted in 1859 and was much further
inland. The brick sentinel cast a brilliant fixed light from its third
order Fresnel lens. Officials congratulated themselves on outsmarting
Mother Nature… but what they didn’t anticipate, was mankind.
As residents established homes in the picturesque area, they planted trees
to provide shade from the scorching sun. What they didn’t foresee, was
that those trees would grow so tall and obscure the lighthouse! The beacon
was concealed by foliage, and by 1912, the 81-foot tower was deemed
inadequate. Replaced by a lightship in 1929, the Mayport Lighthouse was
abandoned and another tower took over its duties.
The third historic tower still stands near a runway at the Mayport Naval
Air Station. A lower portion of the tower is underground, buried when the
Navy filled the site with soil to prevent flooding on the runways. The
lighthouse must now be entered though a window!
Although inactive, the historic Mayport Light is a local favorite and was
restored by concerned citizens who wanted to preserve their nautical
heritage. Future visitors will be able to climb the stairs and visit the
proposed museum. Meanwhile, the modern Mayport (historically known as the
St. Johns River) Lighthouse serves as an active aid to navigation.
Our model depicts Mayport Lighthouse it as it appeared historically - the
pristine tower is accompanied by a charming Keeper’s Dwelling and a white
picket fence encloses the yard. Though the water would not be as close as
artistically depicted, the patina-finish lantern room features a wide
walkway.
|
HL# |
Name |
MSRP |
Introduced |
Retired |
Edition |
|
291 |
Mayport FL |
$65 |
Jan 03 |
|
5,500 |
Originally announced as an edition of 6,500.
