The historic Point Reyes Lighthouse warned mariners of danger for more than a hundred years. The Point Reyes Headlands, which jut 10 miles out to sea, pose a threat to each ship entering or leaving San Francisco Bay. Weeks of fog, especially during the summer months, frequently reduce visibility to hundreds of feet. ![]() Point Reyes is the windiest place on the Pacific Coast and the second foggiest place on the North American continent. Augustine from November 1861 to March 1862, Arnau resigned rather than surrender the city to Union forces.Point Reyes: A Treacherous Obstacle to Mariners As the city’s Collector of Customs, Paul Arnau oversaw the removal of the lighthouse Fresnel lens in January 1861, per Confederate orders. Augustine until authorities darkened the tower during the Civil War in an effort to hinder the Union Navy off Florida’s coast. The Coast Guard recognizes Maria Andreu as the first Hispanic-American woman to serve in the Coast Guard or its predecessor services and the first to command a federal shore installation. Augustine Examiner called “a just and kind recognition of the services of her much respected deceased husband and as a just provision for the support of a poor and deserving widow.” The newspaper applauded the “kindly sympathy shown in this appointment” triumphing over the usual “political reasons” for hiring new keepers. Joseph’s wife Maria Mestre de los Dolores Andreu was appointed keeper in place of her deceased husband, an appointment the St. “…first struck the roof of the oil room about thirty feet below, whence he glanced off and struck the stone wall which encloses the Light House, and thence to the ground…killing him instantly.” The December 10th, 1859 edition of the St. Joseph attended the light until tragedy struck when the scaffolding from which he was painting the tower failed. Robert Mickler then served temporarily for 6 months before Juan Andreu’s cousin Joseph (José) Andreu took over lightkeeping duties in 1854. John (Juan) Carrera served as keeper from 1849 until his death in 1853. Juan Andreu served as keeper until 1845 and the records are unclear as to who took over and served as lighthouse keeper from 1845 to 1849. As the first, he also holds the distinction of being the first Hispanic-American to serve in the Coast Guard and the first to oversee a federal installation of any kind. Juan was the first of many Menorcan keepers at the St. ![]() The Menorcans became a visible minority in the city, contributing to its maritime culture as fishermen, pilots, and lighthouse keepers. Augustine by foot where they settled when Turnbull abandoned his settlement in 1777. Andrew Turnbull’s New Smyrna plantation in 1768 and traveled to St. His Menorcan parents Antonio and Agueda arrived in Florida as indentured servants at Dr. John (Juan) Andreu became first keeper of Florida’s first official U.S. The location is well suited…but a great proportion of the tower, nearly one half, is not sufficiently strong to bear any greater elevation either if wood or stone work.” Congress appropriated $5,000 to retrofit and complete the lighthouse and awarded the contract to Elias Wallen who reported on Mathat the lighthouse was operational and that Winslow Lewis fit the new beacon with “ten patent lamps and ten fourteen inch reflectors.” Treasury, that despite the tower’s presence, “…it was never built for a lighthouse or used as one, but merely a look-out-house. Augustine, wrote to Stephen Pleasonton, Fifth Auditor of the U.S. Augustine, with its preexisting tower, was a logical place to start. ![]() Government then set to work illuminating the newly added coastline. The map refers to the tower as “a Beacon or high scaffold standing on the sand hills, wherein the Spaniards did use to discover the ships at sea.” The coquina tower continued this watchtower tradition until the United States acquired Florida in the Adams-Onís Treaty (1821). ![]() Augustine reveals the presence of a small tower on Anastasia Island. This post card shows the coquina tower after its conversion to a lighthouse.Ī map of Francis Drake’s 1586 raid on St.
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