LIGHTHOUSE XXI

CAPE FLORIDA LIGHTHOUSE

Order No. 128

HISTORY: Cape Florida is located on the southernmost point on Key Biscayne. It was first lit in 1846 and is still in operation as a private aid to navigation. This 95-foot tall tower replaced the original 65-foot structure that had been built in 1825 but destroyed in 1836 during the Seminole War. The lighthouse keeper was under attack from the Seminole Indians. He had felt safe inside the five feet thick brick walls until a flaming arrow set fire to the station’s oil supplies forcing the keeper to climb the tower steps that burned away behind him. The sailors the U. S. warship Concord managed to shoot a musket with a rope attached up into the tower so the keeper could get down. Once his burns were healed he returned to his duties as the lighthouse keeper.

The light was extinguished in 1878 when the Fowey Rocks Light was established. In 1978, 100 years later however, it was relit by the Coast Guard. In 1988, Dade Heritage Trust began a movement to completely restore the structure to its authentic 1855 condition, including the white-washed masonry exterior. It was officially deactivated in 1990 and the full restoration and relighting was completed in 1996. Today it stands as the centerpiece of the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area. The original second-order Fresnel lens was updated to a 300 mm optic lens in 1996. Visitors can also see a replica of the 1846 Keeper’s quarters.

STITCHING INFORMATION: Stitch count: 134 stitches wide x 178 high. Our to-scale counted cross stitch Cape Florida design was stitched on a 14" x 17" piece of 16-count white AIDA fabric. To use a different type of fabric or different AIDA sized fabric, give the stitch count to your fabric store and they will help you select the correct amount of fabric to complete this design. Our threads were carefully chosen to depict the actual colors of the lighthouse to give it the most realistic appearance possible.