Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

Climbing the 203 stairs to the top of the lighthouse was something I've always wanted to do.  Mike, Cindi and I took our time, and paused on each landing (every 22 steps). The view from the top was worth the time it took to climb up, as on a clear day, you can see for miles! The first thing I spotted was our condo! We are not far from it at all, in fact I took a walk to the lighthouse yesterday!
I took a free newsletter, to learn more about the history of the lighthouse, and was surprised to read that a man from Highland, Michigan was the Superintendent of Construction of the Mosquito Inlet (now Ponce Inlet) lighthouse in 1885. Mr.Herbert Bamber kept detailed journals throughout his career, which gave historians a very accurate account of life in the late 1800's.  He was a civil engineer, schooled at the StateAgricultural College of Michigan (now MSU), and completed post-graduate work at U of M in Ann Arbor. He worked surveying rivers and railroads, locks and dams, and began working for the U.S. Lighthouse Establishment to supervise construction of the lighthouse. During the course of building the lighthouse, Mr. Bamber developed a scaffolding system that was then used on all future lighthouses to increase efficiency in building brick and masonry towers.  On November 1, 1887, the lighthouse was first lit to guide ships and boats along the Florida coast.  After that, Mr. Bamber was assigned to the 4th Lighthouse District in Philadelphia.  In addition to his work on the Mosquito Inlet Lighthouse, Mr. Bamber is remembered for his photographs of lighthouses throughout the United States. He utilized a process called "cyanotype" to develop his photos, and always made an additional copy of each photo, which were discovered years later in a trunk at the family home in Highland Township. And now, 176 years after the lighthouse was dedicated, we can learn all about it, and marvel in Mr. Bamber's foresight! It is 175 feet tall, the tallest in Florida, and the second tallest in the U. S. (Cape Hatteras is the tallest). The beacon still illuminates the area with its third order Fresnal rotating lens, and is now listed as an operational private aid to navigation.
So here are my photos of this beautiful lighthouse! Enjoy!