Florida’s oldest lighthouse in Fernandina Beach getting $1.6M makeover

The Amelia Island Lighthouse in Fernandina Beach is the oldest lighthouse in Florida. This historic landmark will soon be getting a $1.6 million makeover.

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The lighthouse was built in 1838. It’s the only lighthouse from the Territorial Period that has survived without major rebuilding.

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Last year, city commissioners announced they were awarded $500,000 from the state’s Historic Preservation Grant. The Florida Lighthouse Association added another $125,000, providing $625,000 in restoration funds so far.

According to a city clerk’s statement, the work will cost approximately $1.6 million to restore and preserve the Amelia Island Lighthouse.

This 67-foot-high lighthouse is known for shining its beacon of light and hope into the darkness of night. It did so for several years before Florida even became a state in 1845.

“I think it’s a fantastic thing they are going to renovate the lighthouse. I haven’t been, but I would love to go,” visitor Gabrielle Martin said.

After we told people about this project, they drove to the lighthouse to take pictures. “I lived here for six years and still haven’t made it to the lighthouse,” Resident Kate Davis said.

“I love lighthouses, and I love the history they represent,” Visitor Collin Martin said.

The last time this lighthouse had a makeover was in 2004, just three years after the city received ownership of the lighthouse from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2001. The Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers help with the maintenance of the lighthouse.

The city recently applied for another grant worth $625,000 to help cover more of the project’s expected cost .

The lighthouse is only open to the public on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. But the city said they will extend the tour schedule in the future. Going inside of the lighthouse is not part of the tour.

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