A Visit to Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

Went down to Jupiter Inlet with brother Gerard today.  Met Jane, who came up to there from Pompano, and we all took the tour of the lighthouse and visited the museum there.  It is beautiful and the best maintained lighthouse site I have ever seen.  Of course, being that it is still at the very least partially operated by the U.S. Coast Guard just may have something to do with that.

It is a bit shorter structure than our Fire Island lighthouse, but being on top of a natural hill really adds to its beauty. . .

 
My brother Gerard and my good friend Jane. . .

The brick walkway from the museum to the base of the lighthouse tower has many bricks inscribed with the names of people who contributed.  A great idea, and one that maybe should be used at Fire Island some day too. . . .

She's a bit less than two years younger than Fire Island lighthouse.  Her builder was a bit more famous than the builder of F.I., too.  Gen. Meade and one of the assistants (who isn't mentioned on this plaque, but was mentioned in the museum - one Captain Raynald) worked together again in the 1870s when - according to the book Empire Of Shadows, which I read a few years ago - they drove the native Indian population out of the Yellowstone area in preparation for the opening of Yellowstone National Park.

105 steps. . .

Ms. C. . . .  glad to be at the top, it seems!

The view of Jupiter Inlet:

My bro, Gerard. . .

The First Order Rotating Fresnel Lens.  According to what they say here at Jupiter, there are only 13 left in the world.  (And here I've been telling our visitors to F.I. that there are 14.  So one of us is not far off the mark.)  Unlike our Fire Island lighthouse's it is still in-place and in use at the top. 

She is identical to ours. Same manufacturer's plaque: "Henry-LePaute, Paris" on it.  Same scrollwork art design on the cast iron below the lenses.  Exact same "beehive" configuration as ours. Amazes me to think this thing 'rolled off the same assembly line' as ours less than two years after ours. . . .

But unlike ours, no chipped glass, other than a badly damaged bullseye lens on one side - broken in a hurricane in the 1920s they say - that was pieced back together and braced with two crossbars (see them on the right side of the photo?)

And unlike ours, this one is still in operation using two 1,000 Watt lightbulbs.  (See the one jutting up above the 'lampshade' looking thing?)

And operated by a 1/3 horsepower electric motor.  They told me that they don't know what became of the original wind-up clockwork mechanism and the clockwork weights.  We at Fire Island at least still have the original hand-wind-up assembly and gears. . .

The lighthouse enthusiast and friend. . . .

 

The Frank boys. . . .

 

And on to the museum.  A display of how the Lyle Gun and Breeches Buoy were used:

One of their Life Saving crews:

The saying went with the job, no matter what Life Saving Station or Coast Guard Station anywhere in the U.S.:

Took this shot as we were leaving the museum. . .