What might be in store for 1859 Mayport lighthouse, largely unvisited but not unloved

The historic St. Johns River Lighthouse began shining its light just before the Civil War broke out, and apart from a break during that conflict — when Confederates hid its light in hopes of flummoxing Union sailors — it steered ships to safety until 1929.

Owned now by the U.S. Navy, it's been shut down for almost a century and now stands as almost an afterthought behind a fence on the western edge of Naval Station Mayport, unused, empty and largely unvisited. Its doorway was long ago buried by fill brought in to level Navy runways, and the only way inside involves a ladder and climbing through a window.

That doesn't mean it's unloved.

The Mayport Lighthouse Association, a group of enthusiasts that's part of a statewide group dedicated to preserving the state's 30 lighthouses, would like to see the public get access to it. But its main goal is simply to see that it stays structurally sound and safe.

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Could the Mayport lighthouse be moved?

Meanwhile, the Mayport Waterfront Partnership, a nonprofit working to revitalize the village, is still nursing a dream that would see the lighthouse moved through the village and onto the waterfront where it would be part of hoped-for busy spot for locals and sightseers.

The lighthouse is made of red brick, with a worn-looking copper roof. The light itself has long since vanished, and plastic windows have replaced older glass ones. It's clearly visible from the eastern edge of Mayport Village, just beyond a tall chain-link fence that's topped with barbed wire.

"We would like to see it moved, to come back over the fence, primarily so public access can be enjoyed," said Ronda Steinke-McDonald, a marketing consultant with the partnership.

Bill Gulliford, a former Jacksonville City Council member and Atlantic Beach mayor who's a member of the waterfront partnership, recalls that in 2000 the group got a quote of just over $650,000 to move the structure. It'll cost more than that now, he noted ruefully. But he recently asked the same company for a new quote, so the partnership can go to the Navy with the facts and figures it needs.

He envisions a combination of public and private money would go toward the project, with the lighthouse moved next to a new riverfront complex that would house Ocearch, the buzz-worthy shark-research group, in connection with Jacksonville University. Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed state funding for the project last year, but there's another $5 million for it in the proposed 2023-2024 budget.

“I kind of think we might get that done," Gulliford said. "Maybe I'm overly optimistic, which I am sometimes. It would be just such a great addition. I don’t think anyone realizes the full impact."

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Heather Hahn is natural resources manager and cultural resources manager for the Mayport Navy base, with responsibilities that cover the old lighthouse — as well as the base's other lighthouse, a 1954 oceanfront structure that is Florida's newest lighthouse.

Moving the older building is a topic that comes up often, she acknowledged. For now, efforts are focused on maintaining it for the future.

“It’s a solid-brick masonry structure. It doesn’t require much. It is something we inspect annually and keep track of," Hahn said.“ It’s a beautiful historic building and it should remain a beautiful historic building, regardless of who owns it.”

The history of the Mayport lighthouse

It is actually the third lighthouse that was built in Mayport. The first went up in 1830 but was abandoned a few years after being threatened by shifting sand. The second was built in 1835, but it too was abandoned.

The St. Johns River Lighthouse, just over 80 feet high, opened in 1859. But it soon shut down in the Civil War when Confederates moved its light inland to make more difficult for Union boats to enter the river's notoriously dangerous shoals.

It was relit on July 4, 1867, and stayed in service, under a number of lighthouse keepers until 1929 when a lightship was placed a few miles offshore.

When the U.S. Navy moved into Mayport in the early 1940s, the lighthouse stayed vacant, just at the western boundary of the base, and its keeper's house was knocked down.

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During the 1950s, the Navy wanted to demolish the lighthouse because expansion of its runways made the old structure a minor hazard to navigation. But Mayport residents objected and with help from U.S. Rep. Charles Bennett persuaded the Navy to abandon the idea.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The Jacksonville Historic Landmarks Commission has also named it one of Jacksonville's most significant historic buildings.

Goal is to restore, maintain and then maybe...

Eric Martin of Orlando, a member of the statewide and Mayport lighthouse organizations, gave a recent presentation on the lighthouse's history to the Jacksonville Historical Society.

“Our ultimate goal is to open it up to the public," Martin said. "I can tell you, to keep these lighthouses maintained, people want to see them, they’ll pay to climb it, and if there's a gift shop they’ll shop there.”

Dan Hogan, president of the Mayport lighthouse group, said his and other similar groups often help maintain Florida's lighthouses.

“As they’re not really all that necessary for navigation anymore, it kind of falls to volunteer groups to keep them up," Hogan said. "Most of the local lighthouses have friends organizations that care for them.”

Funding comes from contributions, plus the Florida Lighthouse Association gets $25 each time a Florida driver decides to get a lighthouse specialty license plate.

Hogan, for one, would like to see the building stay where it is, for historical purposes. But what if the fence separating it from the public could be moved to take in the lighthouse, while letting people visit it? he asked.

He'd like to have an architect, versed in historic structures, make an assessment of what the building needs to be safe and sound, then go from there.

“Our goal, we just want to see it restored and maintained," he said. "If there’s any way it could be made so the public could visit it, that would be great too.”

Favorite lighthouses, in Florida and elsewhere

On a recent sunny weekend, a handful of members of the Mayport Lighthouse Association — Hogan, Cindy Cox, Beverly Oakes, Valerie Bennett and John Ruff — met at the fence separating Mayport from the lighthouse.

As lighthouse buffs, they've traveled the world to see them: Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Oregon and Washington. Iceland and Ireland. Hawaii and Alaska. All up and down the U.S. East Coast, from the Dry Tortugas to Maine. And of course, all of Florida's lighthouses.

Oakes even lived a week at the New Dungeness Lighthouse in Washington state, reached by hiking along a 5-mile spit of sand, giving tours and watching over the place. She paid for the privilege.

Asked for their favorites in Florida, they gave votes to Ponce Inlet (the tallest, and fully restored), St. Augustine and Fort Jefferson (or Garden Key) in the Dry Tortugas.

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Ponce Inlet and St. Augustine are relatively close to the old Mayport structure. The lighthouse group members also suggested making a little effort to visit nearby lighthouses such as Little Cumberland Island, Amelia Island and, a little farther afield, Cape Canaveral.

Asked to the appeal, Ruff had a ready answer: "There's something romantic about them. The history, what was going on when these things were built. What life was like for the keeper, the family. What a remote life it was."

Raising awareness of the old lighthouses is serious stuff, said Hogan, who was president of Friends of Anclote Key Lighthouse near St. Petersburg before he moved to Jacksonville. "If people like us don't save them," he said, "history will be lost."

Ready to visit a lighthouse?

In Georgia, not far from Jacksonville, three lighthouses there are open to tours for the public, according to Explore Georgia, the state's tourism office: St. Simons Island, Sapelo Island (by ferry only) and Tybee Island.

Meanwhile, the Florida Lighthouse Association lists 25 lighthouses in Florida that are accessible or viewable by the public. Not all open their towers to the public, though, and some require trips by boat. Here's a roundup, from the northeast coast to the Keys, then back up the Gulf Coast.

FLORIDA'S BEACONS OF LIGHT

Amelia Island Lighthouse, at 215 O'Hagan Lane (accessible from North Wolff Street). In a residential area, it's open to the public for viewing on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tours are available the first and Wednesday of every month. Call (904) 310-3350.

St. Johns Lighthouse, on the oceanfront at Naval Station Mayport. Closed to the public.

St. Johns River Lighthouse, at Naval Station Mayport on its western boundary with Mayport village. Closed to the public.

St. Augustine Lighthouse, a popular restored site open to the public, with museum and gift shop.

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, another popular restored site open to the public, with museum and gift shop.

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, opened to prescheduled tours only.

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, in Jupiter, open to the public.

Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse, in Hillsboro Beach, open for occasional scheduled tours by boat.

Cape Florida Lighthouse, in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, open to the public.

Fowey Rocks Lighthouse, offshore in the protected waters of Biscayne National Park, closed to the public.

Alligator Reef Lighthouse, off the coast of Islamorada, closed to the public.

Key West Lighthouse, open to the public.

Loggerhead Key Lighthouse, part of the Dry Tortugas National Park, by boat or plane only. Tower is closed to the public.

Garden Key (Fort Jefferson) Lighthouse, part of the Dry Tortugas National Park, by boat or plane only. Tower is closed to the public.

Sanibel Island Lighthouse, closed to the public.

Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, in Boca Grande, open to the public.

Gasparilla Island Lighthouse, open to the public.

Egmont Key Lighthouse, near St. Petersburg, not open to the public, with boat access only.

Anclote Key Lighthouse, in Tarpon Springs, under renovation and currently not open to the public.

Cedar Key Lighthouse, offshore from Cedar Key, open on select dates, accessible by boat only.

St. Marks Lighthouse, in St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, open certain days.

Crooked River Lighthouse, in Carrabelle, open to the public Wednesday through Sunday.

Cape St. George Lighthouse, on St. George Island, open to the public.

Cape San Blas Lighthouse, in Port St. Joe, open to the public.

Pensacola Lighthouse, at Naval Air Station Pensacola, open to the public.

Five other Florida lighthouses are privately owned and not open to the public: St. Joseph's Point, Carysfort Reef, Sombrero Key, American Shoal and Sand Key.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Advocates work to preserve or move Mayport lighthouse in Jacksonville