St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

06/13/2026

In 1589 Italian cartographer (mapmaker), Giovanni Battista Boazio published his map of the raid of Sir Francis Drake on St. Augustine three years earlier. The map is the first documented archival reference of a wooden watchtower at the end of Anastasia Island. The watchtowers were erected by the Spanish crown during the building of the Castillo De San Marcos to keep enemy ships from taking Anastasia Island. The watchtower at the north end of the island eventually became the St. Augustine Lighthouse, and the one at the sound end became Fort Matanzas National Monument.

📸 Brad Gleaton | Real Estate Media

06/13/2026

How many times have you climbed St. Augustine Lighthouse?

📸 amys_athtebeach

06/11/2026

Did you know? The first St. Augustine Lighthouse, called the Old Spanish Watchtower, was built in the 1700s and became an official U.S. lighthouse in 1824. This tower fell into the ocean by 1880, six years after the current St. Augustine Lighthouse was completed in 1874.

📸: The photo from the Lighthouse collections was taken prior to 1870.

06/09/2026

♥️ Thank you, San Sebastian Winery!

Looking for something unique for Dad? Our signature lighthouse bottle, inspired by the iconic St. Augustine Lighthouse, is filled with our delicious Vintners Red—a balanced wine bursting with rich Muscadine fruit flavor.

Give Dad a gift that combines great wine, local charm, and lasting memories.

06/09/2026

📍SUMMER LIGHT! Salt Run lighthouse view in St. Augustine, Florida! The St. Augustine Lighthouse is open seven days a week from 9 AM-6 PM

🔗Get the America 250 discount with code USA15 at staugustinelighthouse.org and click on TICKETS

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06/08/2026

✨Look at the historic Fresnel lens! This beauty was made in France especially for the St. Augustine Lighthouse and was installed in 1874!

Get a peek of the lens when you climb to the top! Museum hours are 9 AM-6 PM seven days a week. Tickets & Details: staugustinelighthouse.org

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06/07/2026

Referred to as a “barber pole” pattern with its black and white spiral stripes, this day mark of the St. Augustine Lighthouse is similar to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina. Day mark patterns are navigational aids to help sailors determine their location.

While the St. Augustine Lighthouse is 165 feet tall, Cape Hatteras is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States at 208 feet tall.

06/06/2026

A D-Day Letter from Joyce Murphy to her mother in St. Augustine, Florida.

Today we honor the anniversary of D-Day. On June 6th, 1944 (76 year...

06/06/2026

D-DAY LETTER received in St. Augustine, Florida

Today we honor the anniversary of D-Day. On June 6th, 1944 the Allied Forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in Axis occupied France.

📝 A letter written from Joyce Murphy, to her mother, Deborah (Detta) Murphy, recounts her thoughts and feelings of the significant impact that June 6th, 1944 would have on her fellow Americans. The letter was originally published in the The St. Augustine Record on June 10, 1944.

TRANSCRIPT OF LETTER:
June 6, 1944
5 A.M.

Well, Moma:

I guess the above date will go down in history as one of the greatest days in the history of the United States. I can’t express my feelings at the moment. Here I am a small part of a great defense plant, doing my part to help get the supplies over seas. I am an American defense plant worker, listening to varied reports about the progress of the Allied forces in the battle to decide whether my little bit and the thousands of other contributions to this war effort was enough.

Read and hear the rest of the letter in this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/Rkybm_HdUT4

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06/05/2026

Join us for Moving History: The Mayport Lighthouse Restoration, a special presentation hosted by the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum and co-presented with Florida Lighthouse Association!

On Thursday, June 25, the Mayport Lighthouse Association will share plans to preserve the historic St. Johns River Lighthouse, including relocating it from Naval Station Mayport to Mayport Village, where it can be fully restored and one day opened to the public.

This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about an important lighthouse preservation project right here in Northeast Florida, and we are so grateful to the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum for helping us share this story.

📅 Thursday, June 25, 6:30 p.m.
📍The Waterworks
184 San Marco Blvd, St. Augustine, Florida
🎟 Free and open to the public
👉🏽RSVP here: https://store.staugustinelighthouse.org/EventPurchase.aspx