After visiting "The Casement" Rockefeller's winter home, we drove over to the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse & Museum.
The Lighthouse is 175 feet high, so of course we decided to climb to the top. The Lighthouse was beautiful and the view from the top even better, but I have to admit a little scary at times. In 1887, Principle Keeper Rowlinski officially lit the kerosene lamp atop the Mosquito Inlet Lighthouse (now Ponce Inlet) for the first time.
The world's first known light house was constructed by the Egyptians in the port city of Alexandria 3rd century BC to help guide ships. Roman beacons burned whatever fuel was handy, they were open air stone lantern rooms housing iron brazier.
As technology improved the lanterns were eventually replaced with lights. In 1819 Augustin Fresnel proved that light traveled in waves rather than particles like New had thought. Fresnel applied his theory of light traveling in waves to the maritime industry's desperate need for a lighthouse beacon with far greater range. The Fresnel lens are now allowing ships to safely navigate the world's coastlines. By the mid 1850's every light house in the United States was equipped with one, including the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse.
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