Travel Guide Review

Florida Lighthouse Trail

Edited by Thomas W. Taylor, Florida Lighthouse Association

Pineapple Press, 2001

ISBN:  1-56164-203-7

Did you know… 

• Author Stephen Crane, shipwrecked off Florida’s coast in 1897, used the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse to lead him to shore.
• Lighthouses were painted with different designs to provide an aid to navigation.
• The St. Augustine Lighthouse has been a source of creative inspiration for many authors, including Sidney Lanier and Margaret DeLand.

The first American light station became operational on April 5, 1824 in St. Augustine, Florida.  Today, Florida’s 33 lighthouses rank seventh in the nation and first in the south for the number of historic American light stations.  The Florida Lighthouse Association, founded in 1996, was formed to preserve their coastal beacons and to record their history.  This book works as an excellent travel guide as it takes you from Amelia Island down to the Keys and up to Fort McRee. 

Using the contributed articles of members, Florida Lighthouse Trail provides a history of each lighthouse, construction facts, and visitor information.  Illustrator Paul Bradley has created area maps and exquisite drawings of each lighthouse or station.   

Besides the wealth of information on the individual lighthouses, this book supplies the reader with a collection of interesting facts about Florida’s lighthouse history, a chronological list of Florida’s manned light stations, a glossary of terms, a bibliography for further reading, and a directory for visitors. 

Florida Lighthouse Trail will become a treasured research guide for historians, lighthouse enthusiasts, and the seasoned tourist.   

You can contact the Florida Lighthouse Association at P.O. Box 340028, Tampa, FL  33694-0028; or visit their website at www.floridalighthouses.org.

Joyce Dixon

Southern Scribe Reviews

 

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