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.
Hillsboro Inlet Light Station. . 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 world war two, 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.
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.
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Location. 26° 15.637′ N, 80° 5.01′ W. Marker is in Hillsboro Beach, Florida, in Broward County. Marker 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.
Also see . . . Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse. (Submitted on April 28, 2021, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, April 20, 2021
2. Hillsboro Inlet Light Station Marker looking east toward the inlet
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 165 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on April 28, 2021, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.