Welcome to the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse

DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
SUPPORT PRESERVATION OF CAPE CANAVERAL LIGHTHOUSE
WITH $6,695 GRANT

Barbara Moser, Regent of the Philip Perry Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution presented a DAR Historic Preservation Grant Award to Brig. General Anthony Cotton, Commander of the 45th Space Wing and RADM Bob Merrilees, President of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation (CCLF) on May 9.

The grant is for the purpose of repairing rusted window surrounds and broken windows at the historic Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. Also attending the event were Lt. Col. Jimmy Sayres, Commander of Detachment 1, the CCLF Board of Directors and CCLF volunteers. The work will begin in June. The grant of $6,695 was received through the sponsorship of Philip Perry Chapter NSDAR located in Cocoa, Florida. The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution annually presents over $200,000.00 in grants to give financial support to projects in local communities throughout the United States that exemplify the mission of the NSDAR to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism. The historic significance of this lighthouse is recognized and supported through this grant by the NSDAR. The DAR receives hundreds of grant applications each year, making competition for the funding through the non-profit organization high. With nearly 170,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world’s largest and most active service organizations. For information on how 501© (3) groups can apply visit DAR Grants or a local DAR chapter.

With the establishment of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in 1949, the lighthouse became inaccessible to the public. The lighthouse was transferred to the Air Force from the Coast Guard on December 14, 2000. In 2002, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation was established and the then commander of the 45th Space Wing, Brig. General Pettit, signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation to establish a relationship between the two to preserve the lighthouse and its history. The purpose of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation is to assist the 45th Space Wing in preserving, protecting, and interpreting the lighthouse and its historical significance to the Florida Space Coast, State of Florida and our Nation. Since then, the Foundation has been instrumental in opening the lighthouse to the public, restoring the site and presenting its historical significance to visitors.

At present, the Air Force provides a bus tour two days a week to transport visitors to the lighthouse. Last year over 3,100 people visited the lighthouse on these tours.

The original lighthouse on Cape Canaveral was built in 1848 and stood at 65 feet tall, much too small to provide mariners with adequate warning of the shoals off shore. The current 151 tall iron structure replaced the earlier lighthouse in 1868. Its greater height and first order Fresnel lens allowed mariners to see the warning light up to 22 miles out to sea. Today the lighthouse is still functioning with a warning signal created by two search-light lanterns which automatically light at sundown and go off at sunrise. It is the only lighthouse in the nation owned by the US Air Force.

The Lighthouse Foundation plans to rebuild the three Keepers Cottages on the lighthouse grounds that will be used as an educational center for children to learn about the early settlers and pioneers, the rich history of the Cape history, the story of the lighthouse and its keepers; a center for archeological displays and a lighthouse gift shop.

The brick walkways that once linked the lighthouse with the Keeper’s Cottages are being bricked in a historically accurate manner and the public can be part of this exciting project. More information about supporting the Foundation can be found at our Membership page, and at the Keeper’s Walkway page. Those wishing to sign up for a tour may contact the Patrick Air Force Public Affairs Office at 321-494-5945 or visit Patrick AFB.

LIGHTHOUSE FOUNDATION RECEIVES $32,500 GRANT
AT 7th ANNUAL LOBSTER FEST

At the Foundation’s 7th annual lobster fest, over 300 people enjoyed a Maine lobster dinner and a guided tour of the historic lighthouse. The day was picture perfect and many, many pictures were taken of the glistening tower.

During the dinner, Florida Lighthouse Association (FLA) President Ken Smith presented the CCLF Board with a $32,500 check to support their plans to rebuild the three keepers’ cottages that were originally on the site of the 167 foot lighthouse. The Foundation is working with the architectural firm, Rood, Zwick and Kerr Architects in Association to update the original plans to comply with current building codes. Cottages will be used for an educational center to tell the history of the lighthouse, the Cape, and the original native Americas who lived at the location, a display center of local artifacts and a gift shop. “Support from our community is essential to achieve the goal of rebuilding the cottages. We have a Speakers’ Bureau that is available to organizations that wish to know more about our plans” said CCLF President Bob Merrilees.

Also attending the lobster fest was Brig. Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander of the 45th Space Wing and his wife, Marsha. During the event Gen. Cotton was made “commander of all Florida lighthouses for the day” by FLA President Smith. The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is the only fully operational U.S. lighthouse owned by the Air Force.

Wayne Wheeler, Founder and President of the U.S. Lighthouse Society (USLS), was the keynote speaker. He kept the audience captivated with his lighthouse experiences and history of the USLS.

Nancy Watts took some very nice photos during Lobster Fest 2013 and compiled them into a single PDF document for ease of viewing. Take a look at the Lobster Fest 2013 photos and enjoy.

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation wishes to thank our lobster fest sponsors, Clear Channel Outdoors for the digital billboard advertisements, and FLORIDA TODAY for the two ads they published.

Thanks to everyone for the great turnout, and a special thanks to all of the volunteers for their hard work in making this year’s event so successful.

Lighthouses have long stood at the edges of the world, lonely outposts maintained by devoted souls to ensure the safety of ships at sea. But, only one remarkable beacon was destined to illuminate the path for ships of space! But how did this happen? How did a lighthouse built on a hook of sand jutting out into the Atlantic to protect mariners from dangerous currents become a front row witness to the advent of the Space Age?

Described by Ponce de Leon as the “Cabo de las Corrientes” or “Cape of the Currents”, this area was a navigational landmark long before it had a name. The Ais were the first indians that Ponce de Leon encountered in 1513 when he tried to land at St. Lucie Inlet. Fierce and respected, the Ais fought off Spanish explorers invading the area with their cane arrows and another name endowed by the Spanish, “Cabo de Canaveral” or “Cape of Canes” is the name which has endured. From the age of exploration to now, this landmass has been an important crossroad in man’s inherent need to push the limits of his world!

This post is a brief excerpt courtesy of the Janthina Images Photo Journal.  To read the full posting you can go to Cape Canaveral Light – Warden of the Sea, Launchpad to the Stars!  While visiting the Photo Journal, be sure to explore some of their adventures including the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse tour and the photo gallery.

This post is reprinted with permission from J A Lovell, author and designer of the Janthina Images Photo Journal.
Photo: Rocket Launch with Canaveral Lighthouse is courtesy NASA

Be on the lookout for billboards supporting the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse in your travels around Brevard County. Clear Channel Outdoor has generously donated space on six of their electronic billboards to support the Lighthouse and the foundation.

The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation is very grateful for the support and donation by Clear Channel Outdoor and its president, Larry McIntyre.