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Cape San Blas Light guided vessels past dangerous shoals on Florida’s Gulf coast, where erosion and storms repeatedly destroyed or threatened successive lighthouses. The first tower, completed in 1849, collapsed in 1851, and later replacements were lost or damaged by storms and by Union troops during the Civil War before service was restored. An iron skeleton tower erected in 1885 proved more adaptable, but the shifting shoreline still forced continued debate and eventual relocation. The light remained in service at the cape until 1919, later gained a radiobeacon, and in 2014 the lighthouse and keepers’ quarters were moved to Port St. Joe, reflecting the long struggle to maintain a light there.
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Port St. Joe, Florida · United States
