Garden Key Light (Tortuga Harbor Light), Fort Jefferson, Garden Key, Dry Tortugas, Florida
GARDEN KEY/TORTUGAS HARBOR (FORT JEFFERSON) LIGHT
Location: GARDEN KEY/DRY TORTUGAS
Station Established: JULY 1824
Year First Tower Lit: 4 JULY 1826
Operational? NO
Automated? Yes, 1912
Deactivated: YES, 1924
Foundation Materials:
Construction Materials: Brick (first tower); boilerplate iron (second tower)
Tower Shape: Hexagonal (second tower)
Height: 70 FEET
Markings/Pattern:
Characteristic: .
Original Lens: 4TH ORDER
Foghorn:
Historical Information:
- Also known as the Tortugas Harbor light. This light, along with the Loggerhead Key light, were the only Gulf Coast towers that stayed in full operation throughout the Civil War.
- 1877: First tower razed; new tower, made of boilerplate iron, was erected atop a staircase in the fort and stands today.
- 1912: Station automated, with tanks of compressed acetylene replacing the butts of kerosene to fuel the lights.