Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse - Nautical Currents boating diving and ocean information

Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse

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The Hillsoboro Inlet Lighthouse is located in Pompano Beach Florida. Before it was built, in 1906, there was no lighthouse between Jupiter and Miami, some 100 miles apart. The iron structure, built in 1904 in St. Louis, was purchased by the government and then shipped via Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, the Mississippi River, through the Gulf of Mexico and around Key West to the Hillsoboro inlet. The total distance traveled was around 4,000 nautical miles.

The original kerosene lamp, which was rated at 550,000 candlepower, was converted to electricity with four 250 watt bulbs in 1920 and rated at 2.5 million candlepower. In 1932 they were replaced with three 250 watt bulbs, equivalent to 2.5 million candlepower. In 1966 that was replaced by a 1,000 watt quartz iodine bulb that shines through the original Fresnel lens, and flashes every 20 seconds. It is now rated at 5.5 million candlepower. The lantern is made of curved, diamond shaped French glass panes.

Where the lighthouse was once situated a good distance from the shoreline, the hurricane of 1926 washed away some 600 feet of land, exposing the foundation of the lighthouse. In 1930 a 260 foot stone breakwater was built to protect the foundation from future erosion.

Lighthouse facts:

The tower was Built in 1907 and is made of iron.
The light is an active aid to navigation.
The original optic was a second order bivalve Fresnel lens installed in 1907, and is still being used today.
There are 175 steps to the lantern room.
The current keepers quarters is the original, built in 1907, and made of wood.
The light was automated in 1974.
The tower is 142 feet high.
The focal plane height is 136 ft.
The light is equivalent to 5.5 million candlepower, flashes white every 20 seconds, and can be seen up to 28 miles away.
The light is not open to the public. The only access is by the beach or viewed from state road A1A bridge.
It was the last light built along the Southeastern shore