St. Joseph Florida
Harbour Lights #289

With hopes and dreams of a new life, early Americans set out for territories unknown, establishing communities along the way. A promising new town flourished in St. Joseph, Florida, and great anticipation of a prosperous future spread amongst the townsfolk.

Within three years of its founding, St. Joseph was on its way to becoming a major destination. Hosting the Constitutional Convention in 1838 (where Florida delegates drew up plans for statehood) and having its own railroad, St. Joseph mushroomed into one of Florida’s largest towns. Shipping increased almost daily, exposing the dangers of the long, crescent shoal offshore.

In 1839, officials built the St. Joseph Bay Lighthouse on the tip of the peninsula. It guided vessels into the bay and warned passing ships of the hidden shoals. But the beacon would not survive long, because the entire town of St. Joseph simply disappeared!

Just three years after the St. Joseph Bay Lighthouse was lit, a ship pulled into port, bringing with it the horrors of Yellow Fever. Within six days, the entire town was experiencing headache, nausea, fever, kidney failure, liver failure and ultimately, death. The population of St. Joseph was devastated by this gruesome outbreak. All the dreams and futures of these hopeful pioneers were erased with the docking of a single ship. Mother Nature then wreaked havoc on the remnants of the town, destroying it with a hurricane of epic proportions.

The Lighthouse Board closed down the St. Joseph Bay Lighthouse permanently, leaving it to withstand subsequent storms with no repair. The lone sentinel stood unlit for years, serving as a daymark for those who dared pass by the abandoned city. Eventually, though, people began to filter back into St. Joseph, giving the town another opportunity to flourish.

As the town was rebuilt, a new lighthouse became a top priority. The entrance to St. Joseph Bay was still treacherous, so a second lighthouse was built, this time, closer to the bay.

Renamed St. Joseph Point Lighthouse, this new sentinel was very different from the first masonry tower. Lit in 1902, the lantern room was placed on the roof of the Keeper’s Quarters, a square wooden dwelling flanked by sweeping verandahs. The 41-foot tower held a third order Fresnel lens and provided guidance for local fishing vessels. During World War II, the U.S. Coast Guard used the lighthouse as a base while patrolling the coast for German spies. Although the beautiful lighthouse served its community well, the station was deactivated in 1960 and sold as surplus for $300 to a farmer.

Moved three miles inland, the historic sentinel became a home and then, a barn. During the move, the crane operator underestimated the lantern room’s load and dropped it, completely destroying the historic tower. Then in 1979, a local couple purchased the aging lighthouse, moving it again to its present location. With the utmost attention to historical accuracy, they completely restored the sentinel to its original grandeur, converting it into a home and rebuilding the lantern room. The interior required much work, as a treasure hunter had torn through the walls with a crowbar looking for hidden money behind the planks. Inside, the gorgeous spiral staircase contains iron steps, each weighing more than 100 pounds.

Now, the lighthouse stands in pristine condition as the only privately owned lighthouse in Florida -- and obviously in the hands of some very caring St. Joseph residents.