Jupiter Lighthouse Service, Jupiter Island

During the Civil War blockade runners brought supplies to the Confederacy through the Jupiter Inlet, while the Union Navy tried to stop them. Fearing that the lighthouse was an aide to the Union ships, a group of Confederate sympathizers disabled the light and removed the machinery from the lighthouse. A Union agent found the hidden machinery and took it by boat to Key West for safekeeping. The lighthouse was put back into service after the war. The lighthouse remained very isolated. Supplies were delivered once a year by boat. Eventually, the year’s supply of flour would go bad with bugs and worms. The lighthouse keepers resorted to fishing and hunting for food. They would also buy venison from the Seminoles for ten cents a pound. In 1928 the mineral oil lamps and the weights that turned the lamp were replaced with electrical equipment and a diesel generator was installed for emergency backup. The Okeechobee Hurricane hit the same year cut the electric power and damaged the diesel generator. Jupiter Inlet Light was placed on the Federal Register of Historic Places in 1973.

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Jupiter Island Homes For Sale

Jupiter Island Real Estate

For more information, please contact:

tom-turner12
Tom Turner
Jupiter Island Specialist
Waterfront Properties & Club Communities
825 Parkway Plaza, Ste. 8, Jupiter, Florida 33477
Office Phone: (561) 746-7272
Mobile Phone: (561) 972-0123
Fax Number: (561) 575-0174
tturner@wfpcc.com

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