St. Marks Lighthouse

The second-oldest lighthouse in Florida still stands sentinel over the shores of Apalachee Bay. Constructed in 1831, the picturesque, highly photographed, whitewashed masonry tower and keeper’s quarters rest securely on a base of limestone rock taken — according to local legend — from nearby Fort San Marcos de Apalache. Overlooking the Apalachee Bay, the lighthouse guided captains to the St. Marks River through treacherous oyster beds. The lighthouse walls are four feet thick at the base and narrow to 18 inches deep at the top. The keeper’s house is attached to the tower increasing the overall strength of the building that has withstood over 100 hurricanes.

There have been a total of 21 keepers of the St. Marks Lighthouse, two of them women. Entire large families lived in the small keeper’s quarters. The keeper’s job was to climb to the tower twice a day to keep the kerosene lanterns filled and the wicks trimmed. It was most important to always keep the flame burning.

Today, the St. Marks Lighthouse is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The lighthouse grounds are accessible within the National Wildlife Refuge, but for now the tower is only open to the public on special occasions. Future plans are to open the lighthouse as a museum and historic site.