Amelia Island Lighthouse

History of the Amelia Island Lighthouse

The lighthouse was built by Winslow Lewis and is brick double-walled tower with a metal cupola. The light signature is one flash every ten seconds. And there is a red sector in the southeast quadrant to warn mariners of shoals in that area. The lighthouse was originally lit with a 15-inch Lewis oil lamps with reflectors. However, the Lewis oil lamps were replaced with a Third-Order Fresnel lens in 1903. The Fresnel lens is still installed and in use today.

A partial list of keepers are:

• Amos Latham (1838-1842)
• Capt. E. Richardson (1842-1849)
• Mary Walton (1849)
• George W. Walton (1850-1854)
• Horace Vaughn (1854-1857)
• James W. Woodland (1857)
• Christopher C. Morse (1858-1859)
• George Latham (1859)
• James H. Parker (1864-?)
• Joseph H. Donnelly (1868-1873)
• Miles J. Thompson (1873)
• Henry Swain (1873-1874)
• Henry Gage (1874-1878)
• Samuel Petty (1878-1879)
• Joseph S. Howell (1879-1880)
• Dewayne W. Sydam (Unknown Dates)
• Myles Thompson (1881-?)
• Charles W. Grimm (1891-1905)
• Thomas Patrick O'Hagan (1905-1925)
• Thomas John O'Hagan (1925-1954)
• Ortho Brown, USCG* (1954-? and ?-1970)
• * Others served here between Ortho Brown's two assignments.

Directions: Given the light's location, a good spot for pictures is hard to get at. At the current time, the best spot for photographing the light is from Fort Clinch Road in Fort Clinch State Park. You will need to use a telephoto lens for a decent shot. In the City of Fernandina Beach, take Route A1A to Fort Clinch Road.

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