Hillsboro Beach in Broward County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Hillsboro Inlet Light Station

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, April 20, 2021

1. Hillsboro Inlet Light Station Marker

Inscription. In 1901, the U.S. Congress approved funding for a light near Hillsboro Point to fill a 90-mile void between the town of Jupiter and the Cape of Florida. Manufactured in Detroit, Michigan and reassembled at the Hillsboro Inlet in 1906. The 142-foot-tall skeletal structure has 175 stairs leading to its 9-foot-diameter fresnel lens. Originally lit by kerosene and rotated on 400 lbs. of mercury powered by a weight wound by hand crank every four hours, operation began on March 7, 1907. The 3-acre site included 3 homes, 3 barns, oil house, boathouse, walks and wharf. By the 1920s, electricity powered the light. Following several major hurricanes, a protective breakwater was constructed.

During WWII, the light was darkened when it served as a U.S. Coast Guard Station; it remains today under their administration. Mechanical failure in the early 1990s led to a temporary beacon replacing the fresnel lens and removal of the mercury. Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society was formed in 1997 to preserve the original lens, which was revitalized with a ball bearing system in August 2000. Visible for 28 nautical miles, the beam of "Big Diamond" is one of the most powerful in the world.

Erected 2014 by Lighthouse Point Chapter, NSDAR.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic

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lists: Architecture • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Lighthouses series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is March 7, 1907.

Location. 26° 15.637′ N, 80° 5.01′ W. Marker is in Hillsboro Beach, Florida, in Broward County. It can be reached from North Ocean Boulevard (Florida Route A1A) just north of Bay Drive. Marker is located in Hillsboro Inlet Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2700 North Ocean Boulevard, Pompano Beach FL 33062, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Florida,

on the Gold Coast,

and in Greater Miami.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A History of Hillsboro Inlet Park (within shouting distance of this marker); The Barefoot Mailman (approx. 0.2 miles away); Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse (approx. 0.2 miles away); Silver Thatch Mounted Beach Patrol (approx. 1½ miles away); Indian Mound Park (approx. 2.7 miles away); Pompano Beach Indian Mound (approx. 2.7 miles away); The Pompano Colored School (approx. 3½ miles away); Branhilda Richardson Knowles Memorial Park and Historic Cemetery (approx. 3.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hillsboro Beach.

Also see . . .

Hillsboro Inlet Light Station Marker looking east toward the inlet image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, April 20, 2021

2. Hillsboro Inlet Light Station Marker looking east toward the inlet

Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse. (Submitted on April 28, 2021, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)

Hillsboro Inlet Light Station image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, April 20, 2021

3. Hillsboro Inlet Light Station

Credits. This page was last revised on April 28, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2021, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 415 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 28, 2021, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.