St. Johns River light | lighthouse

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The St. Johns River is Florida’s longest, snaking over 310 miles from the swamps of central Florida to the Atlantic Ocean. The total drop of the river from its source to its mouth is less than 30 feet, or about an inch per mile, making it one of the “laziest” rivers in the world. Another of the river’s unique features is that it flows north, one of just a few rivers in the United States that does.

This interesting river attracted settlers early on, and for a time, each group would bestow a new name on the river. The Timucuan Indians called it Welaka, meaning river of lakes. The French named it Riviere di Mai, River of May, since they arrived on May 1. The Spanish have called it Rio de Corrientes (River of Currents) and San Mateo, but it was finally renamed Rio de San Juan, after the mission San Juan del Puerto was established near the mouth of the river in 1850. The name Rio de San Juan was later Anglicized to St. John’s and then St. Johns. St. Johns River continues to be a vital waterway with huge Naval ships entering the river bound for Naval Station Mayport, and cargo containers heading farther upstream to Jacksonville, Florida’s second largest port.

The river has had almost as many lighthouses as names. The first lighthouse was built in 1830 near the river’s mouth, where the present south jetty is located. Congress provided over $24,000 for the tower, which was a large expenditure in what was then the Territory of Florida. To make it worse, the new tower didn’t even survive to see Florida attain statehood. By 1835, the encroaching sea had undermined the lighthouse, and it was torn down and replaced by a second lighthouse on the north side of the river.

Click to view enlarged imageThe second tower was constructed roughly a mile inland where it was thought to be safe from erosion. This, however, was not the case. Over time, the shifting river threatened the lighthouse, and sand dunes around the tower and dwelling grew to such heights that they obscured the light. Since the land on which the tower stood did not belong to the federal government, the decision was made to build yet another tower rather than try to improve the existing lighthouse.

Funding for a third St. Johns River Lighthouse was allocated in 1854, but the title for the new site could not be secured until 1857. Work on the tower, which was located back on the south side of the river and over a mile inland, was carried out during the winter of 1857-1858, and the tower was lit for the first time on January 1, 1859. The new tower was built of brick, stood sixty-three feet tall, and exhibited the light from a fixed, third-order Fresnel lens.

The new lighthouse had been in operation for just over two years, when the Civil War broke out. Unlike many southern lighthouses, the St. Johns River Light operated during a good portion of the war, until a Confederate sympathizer shot out the light in 1864. The lighthouse remained inactive for the remainder of the war, and was finally outfitted with a new Fresnel lens and relit in 1867.

It is likely that the solid brick band near the top of the tower along with its fluted top were added in 1887 to increase the height of the tower by fifteen feet so it would be more visible. The taller tower was still deemed insufficient as plans were discussed in the following years to build a 150-foot, first-order tower on nearby Fort George Island. The proposed tower was never built. Instead, in 1929, the lightship Brunswick, stationed off Brunswick, Georgia, was renamed St. Johns and reassigned to a position roughly seven miles offshore from the St. Johns River. The lighthouse continued to operate for a few months after the lightship was placed on station, but when the lighthouse proved redundant, it was discontinued on May 5, 1930.

Click to view enlarged imageSince the lighthouse has been out of commission for so many years, it is a wonder it has survived, especially with the runway of Mayport Naval Station just feet away. In the 1940s, fill material from Ribault Bay was brought in to construct the runway. Twelve feet of fill were placed around the lighthouse, completely burying the original door and forcing what was previously an elevated window to be used as the new entrance.

The future of the lighthouse has been the center of much debate. Some leaders envision the lighthouse now guiding tourists, instead of ships, into the area. However, with the lighthouse standing on Naval property behind a chain-link fence, public access is often restricted. A study was commissioned to determine the cost of moving the lighthouse to Mayport's river front. The answer: $657,600. Wouldn’t it just be a lot easier and cheaper to move the fence?

A plaque on the tower records that the City of Jacksonville and Jacksonville Historic Landmarks Commission presented a preservation ward on May 12, 1983 for the rehabilitation of the lighthouse. A second plaque affixed to the lighthouse shows that the lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Sites. The Navy and Mayport Lighthouse Association are working together to protect, restore, and interpret the lighthouse.

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