Near Key Biscayne in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014
1. Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage Marker
The original brick dwelling was completed in July 1825: a two story cottage with two rooms on each floor. The lower floor was dirt and the upper floor had only one small window on each end. The kitchen was attached to the back. The first lighthouse keeper, John Dubose, wrote of constantly making improvements with his sons' help.
In the 1830s, the government added four dormer windows. In 1835, a major hurricane damaged the cottage. In 1836, the cottage was burned to the ground in the Seminole attack. Reason Duke supervised the rebuilding of the cottage, completed in 1846. Six families of lighthouse keepers occupied the cottage in turn until 1878, when it was abandoned.
By the 1920s, shoreline erosion had washed the cottage away. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area opened January 1, 1967. A replica of the keeper's quarters from the time when the men of the Frow and Pent families served as keepers was built by the State of Florida in 1969. This is the cottage which you see today.
Erected by Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Communications
this page online
Location. 25° 39.988′ N, 80° 9.39′ W. Marker is near Key Biscayne, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. Marker is on Cape Florida Park Boulevard south of Crandon Boulevard. The cottage is south of the lighthouse on the oceanfront trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1220 S Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne FL 33149, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Archaeology of Key Biscayne (here, next to this marker); Escaping to Freedom in the Bahamas (within shouting distance of this marker); U.S. Coast Survey Base Marker (within shouting distance of this marker); Key Biscayne, The Barrier Island (within shouting distance of this marker); Let It Shine! (within shouting distance of this marker); The Bahama Dinghy (within shouting distance of this marker); Dade Heritage Trust’s Cape Florida Lighthouse Brick Program (within shouting distance of this marker); Restoration Hardware (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Key Biscayne.
Also see . . .
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014
2. Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage
1. The Seminole Wars. (Submitted on January 11, 2015, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida.)
2. Cape Florida Lighthouse, Florida. A history of the lighthouse published by the Lighthouse Friends. (Submitted on January 11, 2015, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida.)
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014
3. Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014
4. Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage Marker
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014
5. Cistern marker
This structure is a replica of the brick cistern built for the lighthouse keeper's cottage in 1856. The cistern was used to store rainwater because freshwater was scarce on the island. The water drained from the cottage roof gutters, through the downspouts, and into the cistern. Buckets of water were filled from the cistern as needed for drinking, cooking, bathing and washing chores.
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014
6. Cottage cistern
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014
7. Cottage Outhouse
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014
8. Lighthouse Keepers' Tropical Garden
This marker was erected by the Villagers Incorporated in 1997.
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014
9. Cape Florida Lighthouse
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014
10. View of Atlantic Ocean from Keeper's Cottage
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, May 26, 2019
11. Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage and Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 18, 2020. It was originally submitted on January 11, 2015, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. This page has been viewed 706 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. submitted on January 11, 2015, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. 11. submitted on June 2, 2019, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
