History of the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse

The Port Boca Grande Lighthouse today.

In 1888, the US Congress allocated $35,000 for the US Lighthouse Service to build a lighthouse on Boca Grande Pass, the deepest natural port in the state. The Port Boca Grande Lighthouse was lit December 31, 1890. The light was used to light Boca Grande Pass, the entrance to Charlotte Harbor. A second light, the Charlotte Harbor Light, stood within Carlotte Harbor, and a third, Mangrove Point Light, was at the north end of the harbor, marking the point of Punta Gorda.

The Port Boca Grande Light is an iron screw pile design with a wood frame. It originally had a clam-shaped 3 1/2 order Fresnel lens. The lens is housed in an octagonal cupola on the peak of the roof. The light itself is integrated into the keeper's house. Today, a 5th order drum lens has take the place of the original lens, with a focal plane of 44' that is visible for 12 miles.

In 1912 the phosphate facility at Port Boca Grande was operational, and ships from around the world came to the island to load phosphate. The phosphate was not shipped in containers; instead it was poured directly into the holds of the ships. As they moved to later ports, cargo was placed on top of the bed of phosphate.

The lighthouse had a succession of keepers. They were Frances McNulty (1890-1894), William Lester (1894-1923), Charles Henry Williams (1923-1932), Osmund McKinney (1932-1940), and Cody McKeithan (1941-1951).

In 1932, the Gasparilla Island Rear Range Light came into operation on Gasparilla Island. Built in 1885 as the Delaware Breakwater Rear Range Light, it was dismantled in 1921 and shipped to Miami. In 1927, it was shipped to Gasparilla Island and reassembled. It was relit in 1932, and had a companion light, the Front Range Light, in the Gulf of Mexico off of Gasparilla Island. When the two lights lined up, a ship's navogator knew it was time to turn to enter Boca Grande Pass. The Front Range Light no longer exists, but the Rear Range Light still stands, and is owned and maintained by the US Coast Guard.

The Gasparilla Island Rear Range Light today.

During WWII, the lighthouse was used to watch for German U-Boats. There was a submarine watch tower to the west of the light. The keeper, Cody McKeithan, kept in touch with the Coast Guard by radio, which was kept on the second floor of the lighthouse. The port was used as a safe harbor at night. with as many as ships mooring at the dock to avoid German subs.

In 1956, the light was automated, an the era of lighthouse keepers on Gasparilla Island came to an end.

In 1966, the light was deactivated, and by 1968 it was essentially abandoned by the Coast Guard, falling into disrepair. There was severe beach erosion, and by the 1970s, the screw piles were exposed. The light began to tilt and was soon in danger of falling into the pass. In 1972, the light and the land around it were transferred to Lee County. In 1982, when Florida Power and Light (FPL) dredged the basin of the oil dock next to the lighthouse, they placed sand around the light, shoring it up. To help retain the sand, FPL also had two rock groins built in front of the light.

The Port Boca Grande Lighthouse falls into disrepair.

The lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and restoration work began in 1985. The restoration, a collaboration of several island groups, was completed in 1986. The new lens was lit, and the Port Boca Grande Light was recommissioned by the Coast Guard as an aid to navigation.

In 1988, the lighthouse surrounding land was transferred to the State of Florida, and today is the centerpiece of Gasparilla Island State Park. A museum was built inside the lighthouse, and was opened in 1999. It is one of only six lighthouses in Florida to be open to the public, and the only one on Florida's west coast. The museum is managed and operated by a non-profit citizen support organization, Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS). In 2007, the lighthouse won the "Best Looking Lighthouse" award from Florida Monthly magazine.