The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

The Ponce Inlet light is the second tallest light on the East Coast. With the moving of the Hatteras light, Ponce Inlet is now the tallest which still stands in its original position. The tall, graceful tower once housed a First Order Fresnel lens, and later a Third Order lens (which is on display at the museum). The museum grounds consist of three original keeper's quarters and associated buildings, as well as a new building, built from original plans, which houses the administrative offices, gift shop, and conference room. The museum, grounds and folks there are all first-rate. I highly recommend that you visit this light.

The lantern room of the Ponce light, which now houses a modern Vega optic. If your timing is right, you might even find...

...Tom Taylor in the lantern room. Tom is the Ponce Inlet Historian and President of the Florida Lighthouse Association. Of course, to get to the lantern room...

...you have to climb the 203 steps to get there. Looks like a long way up. And it is.

The Third Order lens on the left used to reside in the Ponce lantern room. It has been returned to the Ponce Inlet Museum, but was damaged during shipping from Mystic, CT. The First Order lens on the right, formerly of the Cape Canaveral lighthouse, is similar to the First Order lens which once resided atop the Ponce light.

Visit the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse online at: www.ponceinlet.org.

Visit the Florida Lighthouse Association at: www.floridalighthouses.org.

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Photographs on this page are Copyright 1999 Robert G. Muller and Diana L. Mancini. Text and code Copyright 1999 Robert G. Muller. As with all of the material on this site, please don't violate copyright laws by printing, downloading or copying materials without my consent. If you'd like to make use of any of the images, text or code on this site for non-commercial purposes, just send me e-mail and let me know. Thanks. :-)