| April 6, 1789 |
George Washington inaugurated President |
| August 4, 1789 |
President George Washington established the American Lighthouse Service |
| 1790-1824 |
Pedro Fornells was granted 175 acres of land on the southern end of Key Biscayne. Fornells lived on the land and grew Guinea corn and coffee. The new US government validated the grant in 1821. The property was sold in 1824. |
| Early 1800's |
Key Biscayne is used as a rendezvous for wreckers, Indians and escaped slaves from Northern Florida and Georgia. The Indians and slaves were on their way to the British owned Bahamas to get just treatment and freedom not offered them in the US. |
| February 22, 1819 |
Spain ceded Florida to the US after Andrew Jackson led a US invasion in 1818. |
| May 7, 1822 |
$8,000 appropriated by the US Congress to build Cape Florida Light |
| 1824-1827 |
Mary Ann Davis purchased the lighthouse area land from Pedro Fornells' son and owned it until July 1827. |
| April 2, 1824 |
Additional $16,000 (total $24,000) is appropriated by Congress to build Cape Florida Light. |
| July 31, 1824 |
Contract awarded to Samuel B. Lincoln of Boston for $29,847 which included two other lighthouses (Key West and Dry Tortugas). Contract specified completion prior to May 1, 1825. |
| August 1824 |
Lincoln gathered materials in Boston and set sail in August 1824. Never arriving at his destination of St. Augustine, it was believed that the ship sank with no survivors. Mr. Lincoln's backers were permitted to assume the contract and a new deadline was set. |
| Late 1824 |
Noah Humphreys of Hingham, Massachusetts is appointed to oversee materials and workmanship by the Boston Collector of Customs. The second ship with Noah Humphreys arrived safely in Key West on December 12, 1824. |
| Early 1825 |
Site selection and construction were to be overseen by the Collector of Customs for St. Augustine. No southbound ships were available so he sent for the Georgia stationed Revenue Service (Coast Guard today) cutter and arrived in Key West on February 8, 1825. |
| 1825 |
While title to the property is unclear, the Keepers House (two story brick dwelling) and the original are Lighthouse constructed: Conical Brick tower, Masonry 65 Feet, Reflector Lens, Wood Stairs. Keepers House is completed July 1825. Tower is certified complete on December 17, 1825. |
| May 23, 1825 |
Dubose won appointment as the first keeper of Cape Florida for a salary of $35 per year. Southbound shipping was hard to find. Dubose and his family could not depart for Cape Florida for months. |
| December 17, 1825 |
Original lighthouse placed in service. Dubose illuminated the light by lighting each of the 17 lanterns at the top of the tower for the first time. |
| January 11, 1826 |
Regulations required mariners to be notified in advance before new lighthouses could be illuminated. Word reached Dubose to extinguish the light until further notice. Notice was given and the light re-lit at a later, unrecorded date. |
| October 1826 |
Lighthouse was once again being lit. A series of complaints are file stating that Dubose is living on the mainland giving daily duties of the light to one of his female salves and her child. |
| April 26, 1827 |
Jeremiah Ives was authorized by the Federal Government to survey Lighthouse site. |
| July 1827 |
Three acre lighthouse site purchased for $225. payment made to William G. Davis, Mary Ann's husband. |
| 1830 |
Dubose states in a letter that the Keepers house was placed 400 yards form the beach in every direction. Four dormered windows and a porch are added to the keepers dwelling. Kitchen is attached to back of the dwelling. |
| 1835-42 |
Second Seminole Indian War resulting in most Indians being removed to Oklahoma. |
| 1836 |
Although separation from Monroe county was fought by local residents, Dade county was founded. Approximately 10 families lived in Dade County at that time. |
| January 1836 |
Indians seen around lighthouse, Dubose and his family go to Key West. William Cooley volunteered to take charge of the lighthouse having lost his family in Ft. Lauderdale area in an Indian attack. |
| February 10, 1836 |
Cooley and five men hired as guards re-lit light. |
| March 1836 |
Dubose returned to the lighthouse, leaving his family in Key West, and assumed responsibility from Cooley with three guards. |
| July 18, 1836 |
Dubose leaves Cape Florida for a supply trip and to visit his family in Key West leaving assistant keeper, John Thompson and Aaron Carter to care for the Light. |
| July 23, 1836 |
Lighthouse severely damaged by fire in attack during Seminole Indian War. John Thompson, the assistant keeper, was injured and Aaron Carter, probably his slave, was killed. Rescue of Thomson occurred July 25, 1836. Lighthouse out of service until after the Indian War. |
| Late 1830's |
Cape Florida Light site of area military operation, all services. |
| March 3, 1837 |
Congress appropriated $10,000 to rebuild lighthouse |
| July 1837 |
Contract let to Winslow Lewis of Boston to rebuild the Lighthouse according to the original specifications. A fully equipped vessel sailed from Boston. Aboard were a superintendent, all necessary workmen and materials. After picking up Mr. Dubose in Key West, the vessel proceeded to Cape Florida to find "that hostile Indians were in entire possession of the adjacent country" and that they had recently murdered Captain Walton, Commander of the light vessel at Carysfort Reef. Due to the Seminole Indian War the contract was rescinded and the Cape Florida light remained out of service until 1846. |
| February 1838 |
Cape Florida Light site was known as Fort Dallas by the Army until the name was transferred in April of 1838 to a fort on the Miami River. This post was renamed Fort. Bankhead. |
| 1839 |
While Lt. Col. William S. Harney and his troops were camped at the light. A townsite was platted on the Davis property on the Key. Harney purchased two of the properties. This was the first Real Estate development in Dade County (founded 1836). All encumbrances were cleared on this land in the 1890's. |
| 1841 |
Another attempt is made to rebuild the lighthouse but problems with construction staff delay this attempt. |
| August 1842 |
Second Seminole Indian war ends. Military abandons fort at Cape Florida |
| March 3, 1845 |
Florida admitted to The Union. |
| August 10, 1846 |
Congress appropriates an additional $13,000 to rebuild the lighthouse (total $23,000 with 1837 monies). Specifications/RFP for a new lighthouse were published. Lighthouse reconstructed: masonry 65 feet, reflector lens, cast iron stairs |
| October 26, 1846 |
New lighthouse construction begins. Reason Duke appointed keeper October 1847-1853. Paid $600 per year. |
| April 30, 1847 |
US noticed that Cape Florida Light "was re-lit" for first time |
| 1851 |
US Army Corps of Topographical Engineers sent Lt. George G. Meade to work on lighthouses in Florida Straits. Lt. Meade would later be ranked general and known for his victorious command of the Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Gettysburg. |
| 1851 |
Congressional investigation discovers problems with US lighthouses. Lighthouse Board requires all lighthouses be equipped with French-made Fresnel lenses. (lens developed by physicist Augustin Fresnel in 1822). |
| 1853 |
Lighthouse Service accepted Meade's recommendation of October 26, 1853 to extend the height of the tower and to install a 2nd order fresnel lens. |
| 1854 |
Meade assigned task of designing the extension to the Cape Florida Light |
| August 1854 |
Congress appropriated $25,000 to improve Cape Florida Light |
| March 2, 1855 |
Meade submitted new design which would be built to Lighthouse Board. |
| 1854 |
Lighthouse raised: Masonry 84 feet high (4 feet thick at base, 18 inches at top), focal point 100 feet, one window added to west. Lens replaced: 2nd order fresnel lens. Same cast iron stairs but extended. Lt. George G. Meade was responsible for the construction and promoted the use of the latest design for the lens room and the use of the French-made Fresnel lens. Tower sat 100 yards form the Atlantic. |
| September 1859 - April 24, 1868 |
Simeon Frow became lighthouse keeper at Cape Florida Light. 1864-1868 Frow was lighthouse keeper in the Dry Tortugas while assisting Temple Pent at Cape Florida between 1866 and 1868. |
| January 10, 1861 |
Florida seceded from The Union |
| August 21, 1861 |
At midnight, 3 confederate sympathizers from Jupiter removed lamps and burners and smashed the crucial center prism of the lens so it could not be used as an aid to The Union sailors who controlled those waters. As the area around Cape Florida had many southern sympathizers the re-lighting of the lighthouse did not occur until April 15, 1866. |
| 1863 |
Material for repair of light stored in Key West. |
| April 15, 1866 |
Cape Florida Light repaired and re-lit after damage by confederate sympathizers. Temple Pent was the lighthouse keeper, assisted by Simeon Frow from his position in the Dry Tortugas. |
| 1866-1880 |
Indian relations with Lighthouse Keeper good. Indians trade goods with family and sometimes join them for meals, including Thanksgiving. |
| 1868 |
Florida re-admitted to the Union. |
| April 24, 1868 - 1878 |
John W. Frow (son of Simeon Frow) became Lighthouse Keeper with Simeon Frow as Assistant Keeper. |
| 1875 |
Fowey Rocks lighthouse construction began. |
| June 15, 1878 |
Cape Florida Light was extinguished when replaced by Fowey Rocks Light. Lighthouse and compound had been minimally maintained for a few years prior. Lens and illuminating apparatus were removed, packed and shipped to the depot at Staten Island. Simeon and John Frow transferred to Fowey Rocks Light. |
| 1888-1893 |
Federal Government leased property for five years to Biscayne Bay Yacht Club headed by Commodore Ralph M. Monroe. The lease was required to be paid in full upon signing of the last. Payment totaled $1. Biscayne Bay Yacht Club was noted as having the "tallest clubhouse in the country." |
| 1896 |
City of Miami founded. |
| March 4, 1903 - 1914 |
Waters S. Davis of Galveston, TX purchased the lighthouse and compound from the Federal Government for $400. Davis was the son of the early Key Biscayne settlers, William and Mary Davis. He build a two story house on the property where he and his family resided for a time. |
| 1915-1948 |
owned by James Deering of Evanston, IL (the Deering that owned Vizcaya) and his heirs. Deering had an interest in lighthouses and intended to restore the Cape Florida Light. His home in Illinois was next to Grosse Point Lighthouse which is restored and operational today. |
| March 9, 1915 |
Deering wrote to the Lighthouse Bureau and the Bureau sent plans of the lighthouse on April 16, 1915. |
| 1918-1919 |
Deering had new foundation system installed for fear the base would wash away. |
| 1920's |
Lighthouse severely impacted by erosion. Probably during the great hurricane of 1926, the Keeper's Quarters which was previously intact were largely washed away. (Also the buildings that sat to the south of the lighthouse.) The tower was saved by it's weight and the construction of jetties and concrete reinforcement at its base. These protective measures were taken by Deering or his heirs. Lighthouse 10 yards from the Atlantic. Mid to late 1920's, original stairs still intact per a personal account. |
| April 22, 1928 |
Official from Office of the Superintendent of Lighthouses inspected the Lighthouse. |
| 1933 |
To prevent vandalism the ground floor doors and windows were sealed with masonry and heavy timbers. A ladder was probably added at this time to extend from a point 15 feet above the base to the upper window to provide access to the upper tower. |
| 1939 |
American Lighthouse Service became the responsibility of the Coast Guard. |
| 1948-1958 |
Cape Florida park area purchased from Deering Estate by Jose Manuel Aleman's company, the Canoga Properties for $1.5 Million. Aleman, a multimillionaire Cuban senator, indicated a desire to give the lighthouse to the public, but his death on March 25, 1950 intervened. The property was reserved for 5 years, protected by interim zoning beginning October 4, 1949. |
| 1949 |
Aleman offered the federal government the Lighthouse plus 10 acres. The government rudely turned down the offer stating that it had "insufficient historical importance". Canoga Properties spends over $1 million on Cape Florida Light site on fill and a seawall for the bayside. |
| 1949 |
National Park Service sent a historian to inspect the lighthouse and prepare a historic site report. This report was reviewed again for decision given on December 16, 1963, deciding not to declare Cape Florida Light as a national monument. |
| 1957 |
NY furrier, Louis R. Ritter, contracted to buy property for $9.5 million. Deal collapsed as Ritter was committed to the psychiatric ward of a NY hospital, had a long legal battle with his relatives and failed to make payments to Canoga Properties. He died in 1958. |
| June 1958 |
Purchased by Desser and Garfield, Inc., a South Florida developer, for $13 million from the Aleman heirs. This firm was a subsidiary of Lefcourt Realty Corp. where Arthur A. Desser was the president. Developers stated that they would deed the lighthouse to either the County or the State if either would agree to maintain it appropriately. Developers bulk headed the area near lighthouse. |
| November 21, 1959 |
Desser publicly offers the lighthouse to the people of South Florida for use as a park and historic monument. Access to site is available to the public by pass only. |
| April 1961 |
Mrs. Elena Garcia Santiero, Aleman's widow, filed a foreclosure suite on Desser & Garfield, Inc. |
| December 17, 1961 |
Historical monument presented by the Everglades Chapter, National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution . |
| July 27, 1963 |
Desser and Garfield mortgage default, property returned to Mrs. Elena Garcia Santeiro (Aleman's widow). |
| December 16, 1963 |
Federal Government rejects proposal to make Cape Florida Light a national monument, stating that it is not a "site of exceptional value in commemorating or illustrating the history of the US". Following this announcement The County states it does not have funding for such a project. |
| March 22, 1966 |
State Cabinet prepares agreement to purchase the 100 acre tip of Key Biscayne. Dade County's first state park. Agreement had a clause stating that the option must be given on remaining 800 acres, some of which were submerged, until January 1968. |
| March 31, 1966 |
Closing on initial Cape Florida purchase. Cape Florida (the 100 acre tip) purchased by State for $2.5 million in state and federal funds and became a state park. |
| April 5, 1966 |
Deed to Cape Florida was accepted by Governor Hayden Burns from Mrs. Elena Garcia Santeiro in a ceremony at the Dupont Plaza Hotel |
| January 1967 |
Cape Florida Park opens. |
| 1968-1970 |
Stairs (steel) and lens room renovated (modern) and lens replaced with a 1930's vintage drum lens, construction of a replica of the Keeper's quarters, under the direction of the department of natural resourced. |
| January 1968 |
Renovation work began on lighthouse |
| May 24, 1968 |
Original lantern removed from the lighthouse with a crane able to lift 10 tons. The day prior crews attempted unsuccessfully to remove the lantern for 4 hours with a different crane. |
| June 1968 |
Brick refacing began. |
| January 1969 |
Bids for lighthouse keepers house were due. |
| May 9, 1969 |
Governor Claude R. Kirk and other government official attended ceremony at 11am for the official public ownership of the park. $8.5 million to purchase: federal funds $2.3 million and state funds $6.2 million. Total acreage, 900 acres: 470 acres submerged, 430 acres dry land. |
| October 3, 1970 |
Cape Florida Light was opened to the public |
| 1971 |
Lighthouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Cape Florida is one of the oldest named places in the US. The geographical designations of Cape Florida and Key Biscayne appeared on the first European maps charted of the new world. |
| July 4, 1978 |
Lantern re-lit after 100 years for use as a navigational aid. Light was at equal intervals of 3 seconds on and 3 seconds off with a 7 mile beacon. |
| 1983 |
Archaeological survey near base of lighthouse |
| January 1985 |
Archaeological discovery of lighthouse keepers house which was burned in 1836. |
| 1990 |
Lantern extinguished. |
| 1991-Present |
Division of Recreation and Parks restores the Cape Florida Light and compound to its historic condition of 1855. |
| August 24, 1992 |
Cape Florida Light survives Hurricane Andrew. Bill Baggs State Park surrounding the lighthouse is destroyed. |
| 1993/1994 |
Bill Bags Sate Park surrounding the lighthouse is re-planted with native plants and repairs made after Hurricane Andrew |
| Fall 1993 |
Stair manufacturing phase |
| Spring 1994 |
Stair installation phase |
| 1994/1995 |
Proposed masonry restoration phase |
| 1995/1996 |
Proposed lantern replacement phase |
| 1995/1996 |
Proposed fresnel lens replacement, historical display, keepers buildings, landscaping. |
| 1996 |
Goal for re-lighting of Cape Florida Light. |
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| 1824 - 1825 |
Lighthouse tower is constructed. Samuel B. Lincoln is the contractor. The 65' tower was supposed to have solid brick walls. It was later found to be hollow - the contractor has used 50% less bricks!! |
| December 17, 1825 |
First Keeper, John Dubose, lights the 17 oil lanterns for the first time. |
| July 23, 1836 |
Lightstation attacked by Seminole Indians while Dubose is in Key West. |
| October 24, 1846 |
Repairs completed and the light is re-lit. |
| 1855 |
Tower raised to be 95 feet tall. |
| August 21, 1861 |
Confederate Sympathizers remove the Fresnel lens. It's never seen again. (Article in Scientific American announcing the destruction of the lens.) |
| April 15, 1866 |
Fresnel lens is replaced and relit. |
| June 15, 1878 |
Cape Florida Lighthouse is decommisioned. Replaced by Fowey Rocks Screwpile light 6 miles offshore. |
| 1967 |
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and Recreation Area formed |
| 1969 |
Keepers Cottage Reconstructed |
| 1971 |
Cape Florida is placed on the National Registry of Historic Places. |
| July 4, 1978 |
Coast Gaurd refits and lights the 1930's era drum light. |
| August 1992 |
Hurricane Andrew causes severe damage to the tower and buildings. |
| 1996 |
Cape Florida is repaired in time for Miami's Centennial Celebration. |
repainted
reroofed
