|
Cape St. George Lighthouse in Florida welcomed its 300,000th individual to climb the historic lighthouse since its reconstruction.
Stuart White from Eastpoint, Florida was the history-making climber. Stuart was awarded a lifetime free climbing pass, a framed commemorative certificate, and a lighthouse replica.
The staff at the lighthouse museum and gift shop have carefully tracked the number of climbers since the rebuilt lighthouse opened in 2008. On Friday, November 17, 2023, lighthouse keeper Patricia Hale, gift shop associate Lani Gibson, and executive director Amy Hudson were on hand to participate in the milestone and make the presentation.
Prior to automation of the lighthouse in 1949, lighthouse keepers made thousands of climbs to the lantern to light or extinguish the lamp and perform daily maintenance duties. After 1949, U.S. Coast Guardsmen made occasional climbs to change the batteries and operate the modern beacon. When the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1994, only the rare curiosity seeker or lighthouse enthusiast attempted the increasingly treacherous climb.
After the lighthouse collapsed on October 21, 2005, the Saint George Lighthouse Association led the effort to reconstruct the lighthouse. Rebuilt at the center of Saint George Island to protect it from continued erosion on Little St. George, the lighthouse opened to the public in December of 2008. In just 15 years, 300,000 individuals have replicated that climb up the 92 stairs and the eight-rung ladder to the top just like the keepers of old.
This story appeared in the
Jan/Feb 2024 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
All contents copyright © 1995-2024 by Lighthouse Digest®, Inc. No story, photograph, or any other item on this website may be reprinted or reproduced without the express permission of Lighthouse Digest. For contact information, click here.
| 