Lighthouses
Franklin County offers two lighthouses for your viewing pleasure, the Cape St. George Light on St. George Island and the Crooked River Lighthouse in Carrabelle. Both lighthouses boast rich histories of guiding mariners through Franklin County waters.
For nearly 100 years the Crooked River Lighthouse stood as a guiding light for ships, fishermen, and oystermen navigating the treacherous pass between Dog and St. George Islands. The 103 foot iron and steel structure was decommissioned by the Coast Guard in 1995 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The replica of the Crooked River Lighthouse Keeper’s House is under construction and should be opened as a museum in March, 2009. The project is funded by a grant from the Florida State Legislature and financial support from the City of Carrabelle. Plans for the original Crooked River Lighthouse Keeper’s house were used by Ken Smith, architect, to design the construction plans for the replica. The beauty of the project is that the museum will look like the original structure, but it will meet all current building codes and ADA (American with Disabilities Act) compliance.
A ribbon cutting and reception is planned for spring, 2009, when the building is completed. A grant from the Franklin County Tourist Development Council will assist with operating expenses. The museum will contain display spaces, a gift shop and a meeting room for educational presentations. Once the museum is open, the Crooked River Lighthouse will be open to the public on a regular basis for climbing. The museum is the final project to complete the Carrabelle Lighthouse Park, which already includes the restored and lighted Crooked River Lighthouse, a Pirate ship recreational playground, and a picnic pavilion, all nestled in a North Florida Forest habitat.
The Cape St. George Light which stands at the center of St. George Island, is the fourth reconstruction of the 
historic lighthouse that was originally built on what is now Little St. George Island.
In 1831 Congress appropriated $11,400 for the construction of a lighthouse to guide ships into the thriving port of Apalachicola. The first lighthouse was erected in 1833 near West Pass, but was difficult to see for maritime traffic approaching from the east. After suffering storm damage, it was ultimately dismantled and its bricks were used in the construction of a new tower, completed in 1848 at Cape St. George. The second lighthouse fell during a hurricane in 1851.
The third lighthouse was completed in 1852, again using materials from its predecessor, but positioned this time 500 yards inland from the water’s edge. For 153 years the Cape St. George Light valiantly served mariners well, but beach erosion ultimately resulted in its collapse on October 21, 2005.
In a dramatic team effort involving private contractors, local volunteers, and government funding, the pieces of the Light were salvaged and moved to a storage site on the mainland. The St. George Lighthouse Association acquired the 1852 plans from the National Archives and led the effort to reconstruct the lighthouse on St. George Island.
Volunteers gathered on weekends to carefully clean the old mortar off the salvaged bricks, and more than 22,000 original bricks were used in the rebuilding effort. Original granite door jambs and window lintels were re-installed in the reconstructed lighthouse. The iron lantern room, twisted beyond hope in the fall, was reforged using the original pieces as patterns.
With extensive community support and public and private funding, the Cape St. George Light was successfully rebuilt and opened to the public on December 1, 2008. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Sunday 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information on Franklin County lighthouses, please visit the links below.