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224 MAYPORT, FL, HL 281, #2012 of 6,500 issued 02/2003, retired 12/2005, 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.

The River of May, or the Riviere du Mai as coined by French explorers in mid-1500, is a prominent waterway connecting the town of Jacksonville with the Atlantic Ocean. Before dredging and jetties smoothed the turbulent waves, ships frequently wrecked at the mouth of this river. Aptly named the “River of Currents” by the Spanish, mariners had great difficulty navigating the channel without assistance. Early in its history, the Lighthouse Board recognized this river as a prime candidate for a beacon.

Standing atop a sandy promontory, the first St. Johns River Lighthouse was completed in the spring of 1830 and provided guidance from its combination of lanterns and reflectors. Built with the finest masonry tools and labor available, the tower appears to be impenetrable. However, no mortar building can survive when the ground beneath it is eroding. Within 3 short years, the lighthouse leaned precariously towards the river. The entire structure was disassembled, the lighting apparatus saved for a new tower, and the bricks auctioned off to locals.

Officials learned an expensive lesson, an error they didn’t want repeated. So they selected a more protected site about a mile up the river, erecting a conical tower just a bit further inland. With the lanterns in place, and mariners appeased, it appeared as tough the problem had been solved. Immediately, 2 powerful hurricanes hit the sentinel, but it survived with little damage. However, strong gales and rapid tides kept chipping away at the sand, destroying the beacon, now at the water’s edge.

With the building of the 3rd tower, workers were not going to take any chances! The historic Mayport Lighthouse, now named for its location at the Mayport Naval Air Station, was lighted in 1859 and was much further inland. The brick sentinel cast a brilliant fixed light from its 3rd-Order Fresnel lens. Officials congratulated themselves on outsmarting Mother Nature. . . .but what they didn’t anticipate, was mankind.

As residents established homes in the picturesque area, they planted trees to provide shade from the scorching sun. What they didn’t foresee was that those trees would grow so tall and obscure the lighthouse! The beacon was concealed by foliage and, by 1912, the 81' tower was deemed inadequate. Replaced by a lightship in 1929, the Mayport Lighthouse was abandoned, and another tower took over its duties.

The 3rd historic tower still stands near a runway at the Mayport Naval Air Station. A lower portion of the tower is underground, buried when the Navy filled the site with soil to prevent flooding on the runways. The lighthouse must now be entered through a window! Although inactive, the historic Mayport Light is a local favorite and was restored by concerned citizens who want to preserve their nautical heritage. Future visitors will be able to climb the stairs and visit the proposed museum. Meanwhile, the modern Mayport (historically known as the St. Johns River) Lighthouse serves as an active aid to navigation.

Our model depicts Mayport Lighthouse it as it appeared historically. . . .the pristine tower is accompanied by a charming Keeper’s Dwelling and a white picket fence encloses the yard. Through the water would not be as close as artistically depicted, the patina-finish lantern room features a wide walkway.

Lighthousefriends.com UPDATE (11/2021): The future of the lighthouse has been the center of much debate. Some leaders envision the lighthouse now guiding tourists, instead of ships, into the area, but with the lighthouse standing on Naval property behind a chain-link fence, providing public access is difficult. A study was commissioned to determine the cost of moving the lighthouse to Mayport’s river front. The answer: $657,600. Wouldn’t it just be a lot easier and cheaper to move the fence?

A plaque on the tower records that the City of Jacksonville and Jacksonville Historic Landmarks Commission presented a preservation ward on May 12, 1983 for the rehabilitation of the lighthouse. A second plaque affixed to the lighthouse shows that the lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The Navy and Mayport Lighthouse Association are working together to protect, restore, and interpret the lighthouse.

MEASUREMENTS: L = 6½” x W = 5½” x H = 7”

CONDITION: Very good. Displayed for a short time in glass-enclosed curio cabinet.

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.