Built in 1890 by the U.S. Lighthouse Service to mark the entrance into Charlotte Harbor from the Gulf of Mexico, the Boca Grande Lighthouse is the oldest building on Gasparilla Island and its most recognized landmark. The lighthouse is the centerpiece of Gasparilla Island State Park. It is not only a working U.S.Coast Guard light, it is a museum of local history open to the public, known as the Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum. The museum was created by Barrier Island Parks Society and opened to the public in 1999. BIPS operates the museum with no funds from the state.
Lighthouse keepers and their families lived and worked in the lighthouse - and in the adjacent assistant lightkeeper's house - from 1890 until 1951. The U.S. Coast Guard automated the light in 1956. Ten years later, in 1966, the Coast Guard removed the light from the building, which was deteriorating due to neglect and beach erosion. In 1972 Lee County took over ownership of the lighthouse and surrounding 13 acres, and began a long process to save the building. |
