HILLSBORO INLET LIGHT
1906
Hillsboro Inlet
Pompano Beach, FL
The Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse was originally constructed in Chicago at a cost of $90,000 and than shipped down the Mississippi River to St. Louis for display at the 1904 Exposition. After the Exposition closed, the U.S. government purchased the structure and moved it to Hillsboro Inlet in 1906 for service as a navigational light. It was the last beach lighthouse erected in Florida and marks the northern approaches to Miami.
The lighthouse is anchored by six huge iron piles designed to ease the strain of wind and water on the structure. During the 1960's it weathered Hurricane Donna, which sent a massive tidal surge swirling over the dunes and inundating the lighthouse's base.
The lower third of the octagonal metal pyramid skeleton is white and the upper two-thirds black, distinguishing it from its red-brick counterparts at Jupiter Inlet and Cape Florida.
The light was converted from kerosene to electric power in the late 1920's and in 1966 was upgraded to 2,000,000 candlepower.
The lens makes one complete revolution every 40 seconds, with one-second flashes every 20 seconds. The light can be seen from a distance of 25 miles.
LIGHTHOUSE - 136' / OPEN - No / MUSEUM - No / FEE - No