Cape Florida Lighthouse
A keeper's own letter about two days at the top of a burning tower, and the man beside him he never named.
Listen to this place’s story in Peplos.
How the story begins
“It had not the desired effect of blowing me into eternity.” John Thompson, the assistant keeper, wrote that to the Charleston Courier in 1836, about the gunpowder he threw down this lighthouse. On 23 July, in the war over Seminole removal, warriors came at him as he crossed from the kitchen. He ran for the tower with the only other man there, and as he turned the key they had hold of the door.
The rest is in the app. Peplos plays the full story when you reach the place. You can also listen ahead of time.
Visiting
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, 1200 Crandon Boulevard, Key Biscayne, reached by road over the causeway. In 2024 tower tours ran Thursday to Monday, 10 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 2 p.m. Call the park at 305-361-8779 for current tours, hours and entry fee. The tower was rebuilt in 1846 and 1847 and raised in 1855.
Sources
- Letter from John W. B. Thompson to the Charleston Courier, 1836, transcription
- Narrative of the Escape of W. B. Thompson, from Indian Captivities, Access Genealogy
- Seminoles Attack Cape Florida Lighthouse, Florida Historical Society
- The 1836 Attack on the Cape Florida Lighthouse, Deanna Butler, Florida Seminole Tourism, 2025
- Cape Florida Lighthouse, Lighthouse Friends
- Research reveals the amazing story of the Cape Florida Lighthouse, Islander News, 2024
- Cape Florida Lighthouse, National Register of Historic Places form
- Cape Florida Light, Wikipedia
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