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Cat 320 Cover-2018 (Hillsboro) Final_Cat 300 Cover 8/22/18 11:55 AM Page 2

COVER PHOTOGRAPH
Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse Manufacturer of Marine Lights, Hardware and Accessories
Pompano Beach, FL
Cover Photos By: Richard A. Cozier WE ARE MEMBERS OF THE FOLLOWING ASSOCIATIONS:
History: Hillsboro Point was designated as hazardous for the safe navigation of ships in 1855 and federal National Marine
designation was sought. In 1901, the United States Lighthouse Board persuaded Congress to authorize the American Boat & Yacht Council, Inc. Manufacturers Association
construction of a lighthouse in the dark area between Jupiter Inlet Light and Fowey Rocks Light. The Charter Member
official order, that was approved on February 12, 1901, called for a "first-order light at or near Hillsboro
Point...at a cost not to exceed $90,000.The full funding to build the lighthouse was appropriated in 1903.
Soon after the light was operational there were unexplained reports of fires in the Everglades began to
come in. The cause was the lens, when stopped in the morning at just the right position, it would focus
the sunlight west towards the wetlands. A landward baffle was installed. This also shielded nearby
residents from the bright light at night.
During the 1926 Miami hurricane the lighthousekeeper stood a 32-hour watch, keeping the light burning
while fearing the lighthouse would fall. It stood but 20 feet of sand was washed out from under it. The
lighthouse beach patrol spotted a German U-boat in 1943, during World War II. The submarine was
reportedly sunk, but no wreck has been documented.
National Marine Distributors Marine Industries
In 1974 the lighthouse was fully automated. The Hillsboro Inlet Light Station was listed on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places on February 16, 1979. The lighthouse and buildings are little altered Association Association of South Florida
from their original construction in 1907.
In the second half of the 20th century, this inlet became an increasingly busy waterway. Hillsboro Inlet
Light is considered one of the most powerful lights in the world with a beam that can be seen for 28
nautical miles.
The Lighthouse: The structure is an octagonal pyramidal, iron skeleton tower, built by a Chicago steel
firm for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, with central stair cylinder; the lower third of the structure is
painted white; the upper two-thirds and the lantern are painted black. The paint scheme was selected for
daytime visibility, the lower portion white to stand out among trees, the top black to contrast with the
daytime sky. Its second-order Fresnel lens emits a light measuring 5.5 megacandelas and stands 135 feet
above sea level. The lens is 9 feet in diameter and weighs 3,600 pounds. The original light was an
incandescent oil vapor lamp fueled with kerosene and was replaced in the 1920s with four 250 watt
incandescent bulbs. At 550,000 candlepower, it was then the most powerful lighthouse on the east coast
of the United States . It could be seen from 35 miles away at sea on a clear night.The electrical system was
upgraded in 1932 allowing the same amount of light to be generated with three bulbs instead of four. In
1966, two 1,000 watt xenon high pressure lamps were installed, bringing the light to 5.5 megacandelas,
making it the third most powerful lighthouse in the world at that time. In 1977 it was the most powerful
light in Florida. Automated in 1974, the light acts both as a coastal navigational aide and as a support to
local water traffic.
The light assembly rotated on a liquid mercury reservoir, allowing up to one rotation per 15 seconds.
Rotation was driven by a weight on ropes through a gear mechanism. The amount of weight determined
the speed of rotation. The weight had to be hand cranked back up about each hour and a half. Several
times a night fuel was carried by hand up the 175 steps.
Restoration: In 1992 the big light was turned off, due to the failure of the rotating mechanism, and a
smaller temporary light was installed on the railing. This light was only visible for 10 nautical miles. The
Coast Guard had planned to remove the original fresnel lens but a successful local campaign led to the
restoration. The Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society was founded 1997 as a part of the campaign.
About 200 people joined the preservation society at that time. The historical value of keeping the lens in
the lighthouse and the importance of the bright light as an aid to navigation were cited in the effort to
persuade the Coast Guard to restore the light.The cost of the restoration was $143,000.
The old mechanism contained 400 pounds of mercury which was replaced by a specially designed ball
bearing system. The mercury was removed in 1995. The large light was relit on January 28, 1999. One
month after the lamp was relit the bearing system failed.The sytem was redesigned and repaired and
the light was turned on once again on August 18, 2000. As of 1999 the fresnel lens was one of nine in
active use in the United States.
Modern times: The Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society took over maintenance from the Coast
Guard in 2008. Surrounded by water on three sides, the lighthouse is constantly threatened by coastal
erosion. Hurricane Irma washed a large amount of sand from under the foundations of the lighthouse
and damaged the buildings and the site. The footings and foundation were fractured. The preservation
society is raising funds for a plan to build a granite spur jetty to protect the site.
The Hillsboro Lighthouse Museum and Information Center opened in March 2012 on the grounds of
Hillsboro Inlet Park in Pompano Beach. The museum houses artifacts related to the lighthouse and a ten-
foot-tall stone statue of the Barefoot Mailman.