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In 1823, the U.S. Navy established a base in Key West, and the need for a lighthouse became evident as a warning beacon to reduce shipwrecks on the treacherous shoals surrounding the island. By the mid-1800s there was an average of a wreck per week. The first lighthouse was constructed in 1825 and was washed out to sea by the 1846 Hurricane. The current structure, first lit in 1848, stands half a mile inland, with the Keeper's Quarters added in 1887.
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Key West, Florida · United States
