CARRABELLE, Fla. — A light in the storm.
A 1894 Fresnel lens once sat atop Crooked River Lighthouse, sending out a beacon reaching 16 miles from shore.
The French-made lens is made up of concentric glass rings to amplify the light.
It sits in the lighthouse museum, a recreation of the lightkeeper’s house.
What You Need To Know
Florida on a Tankful visits Crooked River Lighthouse in Carrabelle, Fla.
Restored in 2007, visitors can visit the museum — a recreated Lightkeeper’s house — and climb the 103 foot tall lighthouse
The skeletal structure, nicknamed the Iron Giant
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“Usually, there was a husband and wife,” explained the museum’s Lori Gilbertson. “The husbands, of course, would keep the light going at night. They’d have to carry the oil up to keep the light going. And the women slept at night and worked during the day.”
This lighthouse was built in 1895.
The tallest beacon on Florida’s “Forgotten Coast,” 103 feet tall, with more than 125 steps to the top on the spiral staircase. Restored in 2007 with a replica lens, visitors can climb the Crooked River Lighthouse stairs.
“Some people start and they actually get claustrophobic,” said Gilbertson.
A skeletal structure, they call it the “Iron Giant.”
“And there are a few windows so you can catch your breath outside and see how far up you’re going,” said Gilbertson.
In addition to the breeze, the view atop the lighthouse shows off Apalachicola Bay, with a view of Dog Island and St. George Island. The light guided seafarers between barrier islands to safe shores. The waters surrounding the lighthouse are often peaceful, but when they are not, there is still a helpful light in dark places when all other lights go out.
Restoration continues at Crooked River Lighthouse. Next up for the Iron Giant, a new paint job.