Fans of lighthouses often will travel long distances to see Fresnel lenses, a revolutionary technology in lighting developed in the mid-1800s. Now there is no longer a need to go any farther than the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Museum, which began displaying a 4th order Fresnel lens on loan from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Visitors arrive at the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, during a media open house Wednesday, March 3, 2021. The structure is the only fully operational lighthouse owned by the U.S. Space Force and stands at 151-feet tall. It was built in 1868 and stands adjacent to the historic Launch Complex 26 and the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Museum. The lighthouse is only accessible by tours through the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. A public open house is scheduled for St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. For reservations: 321-307-2900. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse keeper s house museum opened in December 2019 but the COVID-19 pandemic promptly produced a virtual visitation blackout last year.
Now, with expanded tour offerings amid accelerating coronavirus vaccinations, officials are eyeing a future $800,000 expansion project to someday build two more replica cottages around the historic lighthouse.
“Money right now is pretty tight. The state’s ability to support that with COVID and other things they’re doing right now is kind of on hold, said Jim Underwood, past president of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation.
Wednesday, foundation officials invited media to tour the lighthouse and museum at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Dating to 1868, this cast-iron, brick-lined lighthouse stands 151 feet high with 176 steps winding up to the lantern room.