Ponce de Leon Inlet Light in Central Florida became Florida’s tallest lighthouse when the present tower was completed in 1887 on the north side of the inlet. Earlier efforts began in 1830, but the first tower, built in 1835, never entered service and soon collapsed after storm damage and attacks during the Second Seminole War. The new lighthouse, whose lamp was visible 17 nautical miles away, later gained a literary connection when Stephen Crane reached it after the 1897 sinking of the SS Commodore and drew on the ordeal in The Open Boat. Preserved after Coast Guard abandonment, it returned to active service in 1982 and is now a museum and National Historic Landmark.