The Florida coast though it proved treacherous to the French, Spanish and English ships, it wasn't until control of the land was passed to the United States in 1821 that the need for a permanent beacon was recognized. In 1934 the area originally named Mosquito Inlet (for obvious reasons), was finally given $11,000 for the construction of a lighthouse. Within a year, a forty-five foot tall, brick tower was completed, under budget, complete with the installation of 15 lamps. Oil for the lamps was never sent and they were never lit. Just eight months later, a devastating hurricane hit the area, destroying the lighthouse keepers quarters, and damaging the underlying structure of the lighthouse. The lighthouse was abandoned due to ensuing wars with the Indians, and the following year the lighthouse toppled over into the sea.
Still holding the name of Mosquito Inlet, fifty years would go by before construction of a new lighthouse would begin. The new lighthouse took four years to complete with a new height of 175 feet. To provide for a greater distance of light, the new lighthouse was graced with a fixed Fresnel lens that was special ordered from Paris. It was lighted on November 1, 1887 and was said to have been seen 20 miles out at sea and illuminated the 60 miles of coastline between St. Augustine and Cape Canaveral.
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