Alligator Reef Lighthouse

Year Built

1873

Cost

$185,000

Type

Octagonal pyramidal tower

Height

136 feet

Location

Near the Matecumbe Keys

Automated Year

1963

First Lit

1873

Lens Type

First order bivalve Fresnel lens (1873) (original), VRB-25 aerobeacon (1997) (current)

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

2015

Color

White tower and keeper's dwelling, black lantern and pile foundations

Last Keeper - Date

William D. Myrick (1961 – at least 1962)

Description

The lighthouse is just under five nautical miles off the coast of Islamorada, and you can only get there by water vessel and not open to the public for climbing.

Brief History

•  The name honors the U.S. Navy Schooner "Alligator" which sunk at this location in 1822.
•  On August 1, 1918, First Assistant Keeper Richard C. Roberts raced to the assistance of a seaplane, which had fallen into the water about ten miles from the lighthouse.
•  In 2015, Alligator Reef Lighthouse was deactivated, and a thirty-foot-tall tower, erected nearby and topped by an automated light, took over the function of warning mariners of the reef.
•  On February 1, 2019, it was announced that the lighthouse would be given away freely to any government agencies.
•  In 2023, Friends of the Pool installed a solar-powered light in the lantern room of Alligator Reef Lighthouse and activated the lighthouse, after it had been dark since 2015.