By: Lisa Holloman

The Cape Florida Lighthouse is one of the most celebrated landmarks in the State of Florida. First lit on December 17, 1825 in order to protect sailors from the treacherous reefs lying to the south of Key Biscayne, this year marks the lighthouse’s 183^rd anniversary.

Throughout Cape Florida Lighthouse’s interesting history, there have been many keepers who have maintained and cared for it. Family names such as Frow, Curry, Weatherford, Thompson, Russell and others appear over and over again through the years on the list of keepers.

Rose Roberts-Davis is related to Cape Florida Lighthouse keepers on both her mother and father’s side of her family. This past April 2008, Rose celebrated her 85^th birthday. As her family gathers to celebrate this occasion, including her brother Mark and sister Jennie Mae, their family’s rich history with the lighthouse is also celebrated. Rose enjoys sitting down with her family, including her daughter Carolyn, granddaughter Lisa, and great-grandchildren Austin and Savannah and recounting the heroic, adventurous and many times frightening stories, about the people who manned this historic structure.

Some of the stories are quite well known, such as one from her mother’s (Thompson) side of the family. Rose is believed to be a descendant of the legendary Assistant Keeper John Thompson who survived the famous July 23, 1836 Cape Florida Lighthouse attack by Seminole Indians. After a long, drawn-out battle, the Indians set fire to the lighthouse’s wooden doors forcing Thompson and another man named Aaron Carter to the top then out on the ledge due to the heat and smoke. Carter was killed and Thompson was left badly burned, wounded, and barely alive. The lighthouse was severely damaged due to the fire and had sustained more than 200 bullet holes; it was out of service until it was rebuilt in 1846.

Other stories are the retelling of first-hand accounts of events that do not always make the official records. Rose is a direct descendant of Simeon Frow on her father’s (Roberts) side of the family. Rose enjoys retelling a story that her grandmother Catherine told about a day in the 1860’s when the Indians came to visit the lighthouse on Thanksgiving Day. About 30 years after the infamous Seminole Indian attack, the Indians were now friends with the current lighthouse keeper, Simeon Frow and his family. On that Thanksgiving Day, the Indians came to the lighthouse with wild turkey, venison, sweet potatoes, and corn. Bread was baked in a six-foot oven of bricks and the meat was cooked in a large fireplace. After the meal and listening to music played on the violin, flute, and guitar, the Indians said good-bye until another day.

Rose also relates many of her own fond memories to her family. As a child, she remembers traveling to the lighthouse by boat. In those days, boat was the only method by which to reach the lighthouse since the bridge had not yet been built. She remembers playing on the beautiful white sand beach, which was very white and very soft and at that time stretched out for hundreds of yards from the lighthouse to the waters edge. From years of erosion, the sand beach is much smaller today and a break-water or jetty has been built to curb further erosion of the beach and the lighthouse itself.

To protect the tower as an important landmark, it was purchased by the State of Florida in 1966 and made part of the Bill Baggs State Park and Recreation Area and includes a newly restored 95 foot white brick tower and replica of the light house keeper’s 1825 cottage. Throughout Cape Florida Lighthouse’s interesting history, there have been many keepers who have maintained and cared for it. Their stories live on not only in official records, but also through the lives of their families and all those they touch.

Note: Lisa Holloman is the granddaughter of Rose Roberts-Davis.