egmont

Egmont Key

submitted by BonnieJean Exum

Active: Yes
Characteristics: Fixed white light (originally; flashing white every fifteen seconds (currently).
Height: 76 feet, 99 steps
DayMark: White conical tower (no lantern).
History: Constructed 1857-1858. First Lighted May 1858. On National Register Listing.
Lens: Original: Third-order fixed Fresnel lens; Henry-LePaute (1858). Present: DCB-24 electric rotating beacon.
Construction: Architect: Augustus Angstrom. Masonry conical tower constructed of Brick, concrete and iron.
Other Buildings: Radio and generator building, oil storage house, modern staff quarters.

Coordinates:
27 36 03 N
82 45 38 W

Operated by: United States Coast Guard and Florida Park Service
Visit Status: Accessible by boat
Facilities: None, no handicap access
Hours Open: Varied
Visitor Info: The grounds are open to the public daily, base of tower open occasionally.

Contact:
Egmont Key Alliance, Inc
Egmont Key State Park/Park Manager
4905 34th St. S. # 5000
St. Petersburg, FL 33711
E-mail: egmontkey@juno.com

Sandie Mallett
President of the Egmont Key Alliance
E-mail sandiemallett@verizon.net

The small island of Egmont Key in Tampa Bay was named by the British after the Earl of Egmont, who at the time was Lord of the Admiralty. Florida became part of the U.S. in 1821, and with the increase in commerce in the Gulf of Mexico a lighthouse was built on Egmont Key in 1847-1848. The light was first lighted in 1848, but after only 10 years it was so battered by storms that in 1858 it was dismantled.

photo by
Paula Showen

A second tower was built in 1857-1858 and lighted in May 1858. This tower was built with brick walls more than three feet thick, and stood 87 feet tall including the lamp house. Though this tower has survived a century and a half of hurricanes and storms, it's lamp house was eventually removed and was replaced with a modern beacon light, leaving the tower with a rather unusual appearance. Even so, the Egmont Key Lighthouse remains in service to this day.

The lighthouse can be reached only by boat, with ferry service available from the Fort De Soto State Park.

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