Crooked River Lighthouse
The Crooked River Lighthouse saw many mariners safely home for the 100 years it was lit. The Crooked River Lighthouse was built in 1895 to replace one on Dog Island that was destroyed in a hurricane in 1873. Authorities decided it would be better to have a lighthouse on the secure mainland rather than the exposed Dog Island.
Electricity came to the lighthouse in 1933 and it became automated in 1952. The lens was built in 1894 by Henri LaPaute in Paris, France. The lens was removed in 1976 and is now located in the U.S. Coast Guard 8th District Offices in New Orleans. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1995. The lighthouse sat forlorn and isolated for a few years. In 1999 a group of local residents decided that Carrabelle's hidden jewel should be restored and open to the public. Thus, the Carrabelle Lighthouse Association (CLA) was born.
Via grants from the Florida State Legislature and financial support from the City of Carrabelle restoration of the structure was completed by 2007. Nestled in a North Florida forest habitat, the lighthouse beams nightly, with an acrylic replica of its original 4th order Fresnel lens. The Keeper's House serves as a museum, gift shop and headquarters for the CLA. Exhibits are interesting and informative for all ages, including an historical setting of the early 1900s, plus examples of beacons and methods of constructing a skeletal tower lighthouse.
Museum Hours:
Thursday - Friday - Saturday - Sunday
Noon to 5 PM
Climbing every Saturday and Sunday