Cedar Keys Lighthouse

Year Built

1854

Cost

$4,000

Type

Hexagonal tower with balcony and lantern atop keeper's house

Height

28 feet

Location

On Seahorse Key three miles southwest of Cedar Key

Automated Year

N/A

First Lit

1854

Lens Type

Fourth-order Fresnel lens

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

1915

Color

White tower and lantern

Last Keeper - Date

Charles H. Gardner (1907 – 1915)

Description

Seahorse Key is an island almost 3 miles from Cedar Key. Access is only by boat. There are no amenities, such as food or water on the island. Rest room facilities are limited.

Brief History

•  In January 1854, the Lighthouse Board approved plans submitted by George Meade for the construction of the lighthouse.
•  The light on Cedar Key was built in 1854. Cedar Key is also known as Seahorse Key.
•  The lighthouse was whitewashed in 1880 and all of its woodwork repainted.
•  The light was discontinued in 1915. It now serves as a dormitory for the Seahorse Key Marine Laboratory.
•  In 1929, President Herbert Hoover created the Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge by reserving three of the keys as a bird sanctuary.