Sanibel Island Lighthouse

The Sanibel Island Lighthouse is one of the most frequently visited lighthouses in Florida. Situated on the very Eastern tip of a crescent shaped barrier island called Sanibel, the lighthouse is also surrounded by a wildlife refuge.

The Sanibel Island lighthouse is over 120 years old and has quite an interesting history behind it.

The first settlement of Sanibel Island was in 1833. The tiny group of settlers asked for a lighthouse to be constructed on the island. Unfortunately this did not come to pass. Then, hardship and disease forced them to abandon the settlement in 1888.

Floridians then raised a port on the mainland directly across from Sanibel Island called Punta Rassa. Ships loaded cattle from the Central Florida port to take the cattle to Cuba.

Then in 1856, the Lighthouse Board sent a recommendation to establish a beacon on Sanibel Island in order to light this port. Unfortunately this did not go through.

Following the Civil War, yet another request came along in 1878. It took until 1883 for Congress to finally fund the project with $50,000.

Work on the lighthouse's foundation began in 1884. Meanwhile, construction on the superstructure considered necessary proceeded so that it could be shipped from up North to Sanibel Island.

While they waited they constructed a 162-foot wharf, along with two square keeper's dwellings that featured hipped roofs supported by strong iron pilings.

The ship that was carrying all of the lighthouse material for the Cape San Blas, its twin-to-be, and Sanibel lighthouses unfortunately sank. It was only two miles away from Sanibel Island.

At this point they actually used divers to recover the pieces. The divers were pretty successful and they were able to find practically all the sections.

When it was at last finished, the lighthouse featured four stout iron legs that had been arranged in a pyramidal manner in the region of a round central column.

It was finally ready to be lit, thus the lighthouse keeper, Dudley Richardson, did so on August 20, 1884. The Sanibel Island lighthouse features a third-order Fresnel lens.

Third order refers to the size of the lens, where the largest is first order and so on. This lens graces the tower at the height of approximately 98 feet.

Meanwhile, both the San Blas and the Sanibel Island Lighthouse have a central column that is inaccessible from about 10 feet from the ground, thus they made an external staircase for it.

More interesting history follows when Henry Shanahan came to the Lighthouse to become the assistant Keeper of the lighthouse in 1890. Following the death of Keeper Richardson, Shanahan moved up to Keeper.

Unfortunately, Shanahan's wife died, and left him with seven children. Shanahan met a widow on Sanibel Island who was raising her own five children. They married, and had yet another child.

The family helped to run the lighthouse. When Shanahan died, in 1913, his son became the Keeper. Eventually one of Shanahan's stepsons was Keeper of the lighthouse from 1936-1941.

The popularity of the island speaks tremendously for its unique atmosphere and beautiful environment. Sea turtles have even been known to nest on Sanibel Island as well.

A combination of elegance and charm captivates visitors as though the island itself were part of a fantasy of some type.

The J.N Darling Wildlife refuge is also on Sanibel Island as well as other various attractions of this type. Also, the Sanibel Historical Museum and village that is also found on the island replicates the culture of the island and offers various exhibits for the visitors who come to the island to know about the history.

The Sanibel Lighthouse is another attraction built in 1884 only one of very few left in the area. Many different activities take place on Sanibel Island and it truly is a place where individuals can feel a sense of paradise as well as relax and enjoy everything that is around them.

In order to see the island more than simply by walking there are also bicycle rentals available and these also make an outing for the day more enjoyable.

For more information about Sanibel Island and the Parasailing found on the Island you can visit various web sites found via the Internet and many of the questions you might have can be answered in this way.

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