215 CAPE CANAVERAL LIGHT, FL, HL 163, #21 (very low number) of 9,500 issued 03/1996, retired 08/1996, made in China, box (#6), Certificate of Authenticity, tent card
Each piece will be double boxed and packed for a 30' drop should that occur in handling. Shipper only insures first $50 valuation at no additional cost. PLEASE NOTE: I will only refund this amount ($50) if damage occurs unless buyer has purchased additional insurance. If buyer wishes additional insurance, the cost associated with additional insurance will be calculated and buyer will pay additional cost.
Centuries before the dawn of the Space Age, Cape Canaveral was considered an important landing place for navigation. Early Spanish explorers used the quiet lagoon sheltered by the sandy headland as a refuge from stormy seas. Ponce de Leon, during his quest for gold, and the fabled fountain of youth, named the promontory “Cabo de los Corrientes,” or “Cape of Currents,” because the strong offshore currents. Later explorers used the name Canaberal (Canaveral), or “Place of Reeds,” perhaps in reference to the reed arrows used against the Europeans by hostile local natives. Today, most local residents simply refer to this important landmark as “the Cape.”
Over the next 300 years, vessels were continually wrecked on the dangerous shoals off Cape Canaveral. Navigational aides became increasingly important. In 1848, local officials erected the first lighthouse on the Cape, albeit with very little knowledge of lighthouse engineering. The 60' structure proved to be so ineffective, by the time ships were close enough to see the light, they were often already upon the very shoals they were trying to avoid.
In 1860, approval to build a 146' cast iron tower was given by the Lighthouse Board. Construction was unfortunately halted by the onset of the Civil War. The original tower, along with all other southern lights, was darkened for the duration of the war by order of the Confederate Secretary of the Navy. After the war, construction of the new tower resumed, although somewhat slowly. On May 10, 1868, the new station finally exhibited its powerful, 1st-Order Fresnel lens. With a focal plane of 137', mariners could spot the beacon for more than 18 nautical miles.
Cape Canaveral’s most famous and colorful keeper was, without a doubt, Captain Mills Burnham. Captain Burnham, a self-reliant and tenacious individual, faithfully tended the original light, as well as the replacement tower, from 1853 until his death in 1886. For more than 3 decades, he and his family rescued shipwrecked sailors, fought off Seminole warriors, and endured long period of isolation. During the Civil War, he dutifully followed Confederate orders and dismantled the lighting apparatus from the tower. He carefully buried the lamps and clockwork in his orange grove and spent the remainder of the war living off the land. After the war, Burnham dug up the hidden equipment and returned it to its proper place. Everything still worked perfectly! Upon his death, Captain Burnham was succeeded by his son-in-law. Not surprisingly, each of Captain Burnham’s 5 daughters eventually married lightkeepers.
Like many South Atlantic lighthouses, the Cape Canaveral station was built on shifting sands. Beach erosion so seriously threatened the tower, by 1883 only 192' separated the lighthouse from crashing waves. Attempts to fight the encroaching ocean with jetties provided futile. Between 1893 and 1894, the Lighthouse Board dismantled the iron and brick tower and re-erected it a 1¼ miles further inland. It has remained active until this day.
(canaverallight.org/explore-and-learn/UPDATE 11/2021: Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is still a working lighthouse, but the light is now automated, and no keeper is required. In 2000 the Air Force became the owner of the lighthouse, transitioning to the Space Force in 2020. The Coast Guard continues to maintain the light.)
In 1964, Cape Canaveral was renamed Cape Kennedy, in honor of the fallen President. It was John Kennedy who inspired the nation to put a man on the moon by 1970. Local citizens eventually persuaded the government to change Cape Kennedy back to its historic name. 1994 marked the 100th anniversary of the current lighthouse location. From a distance, the old sentinel has often been mistaken for a rocket ship by launch observers, especially when viewed from a southerly direction. During nighttime launches of the space shuttle, the familiar beacon can be seen reflecting off the shuttle’s hull. . . a poignant reminder of our nautical heritage.
MEASUREMENTS: L = 7½” x W = 4¼” x H = 7”
CONDITION: Very good. Displayed for a short time in glass-enclosed curio cabinet.
Each piece will be double boxed and packed for a 30' drop should that occur in handling. Shipper only insures first $50 valuation at no additional cost. PLEASE NOTE: I will only refund this amount ($50) if damage occurs unless buyer has purchased additional insurance. If buyer wishes additional insurance, the cost associated with additional insurance will be calculated and buyer will pay additional cost.
If damaged in shipping, buyer must save damaged carton to show shipper’s rep condition of boxes.
NOTE: for the most part, I only collected full size Harbour Lights. GLOWS and Little Lights of Mine will be clearly identified as such should I find I have any.