Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse
4931 South Peninsula Drive
Ponce Inlet, Florida 32127
Volusia County
(904) 761-1821
This site is located in the EastCentral region of the state.
DIRECTIONS
From I-95 North or South: Exit from I-95 at Port Orange, Route 421 (exit no. 85, south of Daytona Beach), and go east on Dunlawton Avenue. Continue on Dunlawton Avenue through the intersection with U. S. Route 1 and over the high-rise bridge crossing the Halifax River. At the second traffic light, you will see the Atlantic Ocean ahead. Turn right (south) on Atlantic Avenue and continue through the village of Wilbur-by-the-Sea and four additional miles to a four-way stopsign. Turn right (west) on Beach Street. Go to the next four-way stop, and turn left (south) on Peninsula Drive. In two blocks you will see the entrance of the Lighthouse on your left.
First lighted in November 1887, this facility converted to World War II service in December 1941 with the closing of the reservation to all visitors and the initiation of around-the-clock watches. With the abolition of the Lighthouse Service in 1939, this station came under the control of the United States Coast Guard when war broke out on December 7, 1941. With the realization that the lighthouse beacon silhouetted Allied vessels to the German Navy, a 50-watt bulb replaced the 500-watt used in peacetime.
Twenty-four hour radio watch continued until 1952 when the tower light became fully automated.
Restored and opened to the public in 1982, this site received designation by the National Park Service in 1998 as a National Historic Landmark.
IMAGES:
LINK:
The Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse
http://ponceinlet.org/index.cfm
