SaltyFlorida.com team effort involving private contractors, local volunteers, and government funding, the pieces of the Light were salvaged and moved to a storage site on the mainland. The St. George Lighthouse Association acquired the 1852 plans from the National Archives and led the effort to reconstruct the lighthouse on St. George Island. Volunteers cleaned old mortar off the salvaged bricks, and more than 22,000 original bricks were used in the rebuilding effort. OrigiFranklin County offers two nal lightgranite door jambs houses for your viewing pleasure, and window lintels were the Cape St. George Light on St. in the reconre-installed George Island and the Crooked structed lighthouse. The River Lighthouse in Carrabelle. iron lantern room, twisted fort involvBoth lighthouses boast rich histobeyond hope in the fall, ries of guiding mariners through was reforged using the Franklin County waters. original pieces as patterns. With extensive commuCape St. George nity support and public The Cape St. George Light andwhich private funding, the stands at the center of St.Cape George St. George Light was Island, is the fourth reconstrucsuccessfully rebuilt and tion of the historic lighthouse opened to the public on that was originally built on what 1, 2008. December is now Little St. George Island. A replica of the original Lighthouse In 1831 Congress appropriated Keeper’s House, built next to the lighthouse, $11,400 for the construction of a museum and gift shop. Museum exfeatures a lighthouse to guide ships into hibits include the lighthouse history and arthe thriving port of Apalachicola. tifacts. An audio-visual “interactive archive” The first lighthouse was erected provides visitors access to videos, photogaphs in 1833 near West Pass, but and was documents relating to the lighthouse. difficult to see for maritime traffi c at stgeorgelight.org Learn more approaching from the east. After suffering storm damage, it was ultimately dismantled and its bricks were used in the construction of Original granite door jambs and a new tower, completed in 1848 For nearly 100 years the Crooked River at Cape St. George. TheLighthouse second stood as a guiding light for ships, lighthouse fell during a hurricane and fishermen navigating the treacherous in 1851. pass between Dog and St. George Islands. The third lighthouse was comToday the lighthouse and keeper’s house pleted in 1852, again using matemuseum stand on the mainland where the rials from its predecessor,light but posiwas originally built in 1895, replacing tioned this time 500 yards inland the three short-lived beacons destroyed by from the water’s edge. For 153 hurricanes on Dog Island. The 103 foot iron years the Cape St. George Light Continued on page 24
Crooked River Lighthouse
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The Crooked River Lighthouse features a unique pirate ship playground and keeper’s house museum.