10-574: The Crooked River Light , also known as the Carrabelle Light , was built in 1895 to replace the Dog Island Light on Dog Island , which had been destroyed in 1875 by a hurricane. The location on the mainland allowed the light to serve as the rear range light for the channel to the west of Dog Island, used by ships in the lumber trade. The Crooked River Lighthouse, built in 1895, replaced three lighthouses on Dog Island that over
20-409: A hurricane in 1873. The first lighthouse, a 50-foot (15 m) brick tower, was completed in 1839. A storm in 1842 destroyed the keeper's house and badly damaged the lighthouse tower. A 40-foot (12 m) wooden tower was completed in 1843 to replace the brick tower. This second tower was destroyed by a hurricane in 1851. A 40-foot (12 m) brick tower was built in 1851. This is the lighthouse in
30-498: Is therefore recommended that the new work be indefinitely postponed." The Dog Island Light was never replaced. The Crooked River Light (built near Carrabelle on the mainland in 1895) serves as a leading light for the same channel that was formerly marked by the Dog Island Light. In 1999, a team of maritime archaeologists led by Chuck Meide , as part of Florida State University 's Dog Island Shipwreck Survey, discovered
40-540: The float container. The lens was replaced by a modern optic and this beacon remained in operation until the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1995. In 1999 the Carrabelle Lighthouse Association was formed to restore, preserve, and open the lighthouse to the public. This goal was achieved between 2007-2009. An acrylic replica of the original glass Fresnel lens was installed and the lighthouse serves as an aid to navigation once again. In 2020,
50-567: The original 4th Order Fresnel lens was returned to the Crooked River Lighthouse and is on display in the Keeper's House Museum. Dog Island Light Several lighthouses called Dog Island Light were constructed on the western tip of Dog Island south of Carrabelle, Florida . They marked the "middle entrance to St. George's Sound," between St. George and Dog Islands, during the nineteenth century, until its collapse by
60-465: The photo above. The obsolete lamp and reflector system in the light was replaced by a Forward drop lens in 1856, which was more efficient. During the Civil War , Confederate forces burned the stairs in the tower and damaged the lens to prevent the tower from being used as a lighthouse or a watchtower. The light was repaired and put back into service after the war. In 1872 beach erosion undermined
70-491: The remains of the Dog Island Lighthouse using side-scan sonar . The submerged brick ruins are now located on the offshore side of the island, as the island itself is slowly migrating towards land and has passed completely over the lighthouse's original position inside the island. The site was re-investigated by Florida State University archaeologists as part of a 2006 summer field school, and various features of
80-473: The surrounding pine forest. This is the same daymark seen on the lighthouse today - the lower half white, the upper half red and a black lantern room. After being electrified in 1933, the lighthouse was automated and unmanned in 1952. In 1964 the two houses and all outbuildings were sold and removed from the site. The original 4th Order lens was removed by the Coast Guard in 1976, due to mercury leakage in
90-467: The tower and caused it to fall. The lantern was salvaged and was moved to the top of the keeper's dwelling. On September 18, 1873 a hurricane destroyed both the tower and the keeper's dwelling. Congress appropriated funds for a replacement in 1874, but the Lighthouse Board stated, "This light can only serve a local commerce, of which, for several years, there has been little or none; and it
100-542: The years were destroyed by storms. The tower was fitted with a 4th Order, bivalve Fresnel lens constructed in Paris, France in 1894. The lightstation grounds originally included a house for both the Keeper and the Assistant Keeper, and several outbuildings. At first the lighthouse was painted solid dark red except for the black lantern room. Later (at the end of 1901) the lower half was painted white to offset it from
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