Harbour Lights Mayport
The River of May, or the Riviere du Mai as coined by French explorers in mid-1500, is a prominent waterway connecting the town of Jacksonville with the Atlantic Ocean. Before dredging and jetties smoothed the turbulent waves, ships frequently wrecked at the mouth of this river. Aptly named the "River of Currents" by the Spanish, mariners had great difficulty navigating the channel without assistance. Early in its history, the Lighthouse Board recognized this river as a prime candidate for a beacon.Standing atop a sandy promontory, the first St. Johns River lighthouse was completed in the spring of 1830 and provided guidance from its combination of lanterns and reflectors. Built with the finest masonry tools and labor available, the tower appeared to be impenetrable. However, no mortar building can survive when the ground beneath it is eroding. Within three short years, the lighthouse leaned precariously towards the river. The entire structure was disassembled, the lighting apparatus saved for a new tower, and the bricks auctioned off to locals.Officials learned an expensive lesson, an error they didn't want repeated.So they selected a more protected site about a mile up the river, erecting a conical tower just a bit further inland. With the lanterns in place and mariners appeased, it appeared as though the problem had been solved. Immediately, two powerful hurricanes hit the sentinel, but it survived with little damage. However, strong gales and rapid tides kept chipping away at the sand, destroying the beacon, now at the water's edge.With the building of the third tower, workers were not going to take any chances! The historic Mayport Lighthouse, now named for its location at the Mayport Naval Air Station, was lighted in 1859 and was much further inland. The brick sentinel cast a brilliant fixed light from its third order Fresnel lens. Officials congratulated themselves on outsmarting Mother Nature… but what they didn't anticipate, was mankind.As residents established homes in the picturesque area, they planted trees to provide shade from the scorching sun. What they didn't foresee, was that those trees would grow so tall and obscure the lighthouse! The beacon was concealed by foliage, and by 1912, the 81-foot tower was deemed inadequate. Replaced by a lightship in 1929, the Mayport Lighthouse was abandoned and another tower took over its duties.The third historic tower still stands near a runway at the Mayport Naval Air Station. A lower portion of the tower is underground, buried when the Navy filled the site with soil to prevent flooding on the runways. The lighthouse must now be entered though a window!Although inactive, the historic Mayport Light is a local favorite and was restored by concerned citizens who wanted to preserve their nautical heritage. Future visitors will be able to climb the stairs and visit the proposed museum. Meanwhile, the modern Mayport (historically known as the St. Johns River) Lighthouse serves as an active aid to navigation.Our model depicts Mayport Lighthouse it as it appeared historically - the pristine tower is accompanied by a charming Keeper's Dwelling and a white picket fence encloses the yard. Though the water would not be as close as artistically depicted, the patina-finish lantern room features a wide walkway.Our price:
$65.00
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