Restoration
I am going to begin posting information and updates on the tower's restoration on this page.
December 16, 2004
For pictures and information on the new lens in the Anclote Key Lighthouse, please click here.
April 24, 2004
Restoration on the tower has been completed and to this day the Anclote Key Lighthouse's beacon is shining at night. Construction on a keeper's house has begun and has probably been completed by now. This dwelling will be used to house a full time ranger for the Anclote Keys State Preserve. This should put an end to vandalism in the lighthouse and the area.
January 14, 2004
The Anclote Key Lighthouse has now since been relit and is shining its beacon over the waters surrounding it at this moment. The next step in the lighthouse project is to construct keepers' dwellings for full-time park rangers that will stay on the island to watch over the lighthouse and the Anclote Key State Preserve. Construction on these keepers' homes should be underway at the moment. It has also been noted that the Anclote Key State Preserve is accepting bids for a ferry service from the mainland to Anclote Key to see the lighthouse and tour the island. It is unconfirmed as to when this service will be available.
September 17, 2003
On September 13, 2003, the Anclote Key Lighthouse was relit. There was a relighting ceremony held at Sunset Beach Park, and there certainly was quite a crowd that showed up to see the relighting. It was a very moving ceremony, and at the end of it all at about 8:20PM, the Anclote Key Lighthouse was lit by Steve Scyoc, who was in control of the restoration crew on the island.
I would like to thank everyone that was able to make it to the ceremony and contributing to the Anclote Key Lighthouse restoration effort, which is still underway. The money raised from the ceremony is going to help fund the construction of the two keeper's homes that will house two full-time park rangers as well as a public museum on the island itself. The link below is to a picture of the beautiful sunset from the park.
Sunset Beach Park, Lighthouse in the distance.
August 2, 2003:
The Anclote Key Lighthouse, as you probably already know, is under full restoration courtesy several grants from the State of Florida as well as hard-earned money from fundraising thanks to the Relight The Light Committee. The tower will be fully restored to its original state, as well as the oil house. There will also be housing for a full-time park ranger for the Anclote Key State Preserve, but it will probably not accurately resemble the original keeper's and assistant keeper's homes that were destroyed long ago. A long wooden boardwalk has already been built on top of a cleared path leading from the southern tip of the island to the lighthouse area. The Relight the Light Ceremony is set to take place on September 13, 2003.
I have also found the time to visit the island and lighthouse area, and I will tell you, the lighthouse looks entirely different. I cannot wait until the tower is completely restored to its glory day. The rusted and mingled old look will be no more, and a new one will take its place. Below are just a few pictures of the tower. They are pictures with the gallery at the top of the tower taken off. The gallery was taken to ground zero in order to be fully restored, sandblasted, and painted. To my knowledge, they have already mounted the gallery back to the top of the tower at present, but I am not fully sure. The links below are to the pictures. Just click and you can view them.
