St. George Island Lighthouse

St. George Island Lighthouse

Take a 360-degree look around the historical St. George Island Lighthouse that is located on St. George Island in Franklin County, Florida. Enjoy the panoramic views from the top of the lighthouse and have a look around the museum. 

Click here to view it in fullscreen.

Equipment used to capture and create the 360-degree panoramic images:

• Canon 6d mkii
• Canon 8-15mm F4
• Adobe Lightroom
• Adobe Photoshop
• Photomatix
• PTGui
• Pano2VR

About the St. George Island Lighthouse

First built in 1833 on the western tip of St. George Island, the lighthouse was erected to mark the narrow entrance to Apalachicola Bay at West Pass between St. George Island and St. Vincent Island. The original lighthouse stood at 72 feet and was made out of brick. In 1848, $8,000 was appropriated by Congress to move the lighthouse 2 miles southeast to be more visible to ships approaching from the eastern Gulf area. Many pieces of the original lighthouse tower were used in the construction of the second lighthouse. 

In 1850, a hurricane, most likely Hurricane King in October, caused damage to the foundation. In 1851 Hurricane Four or Hurricane San Agapito of 1851, the storm made landfall near Panama City, Florida at a peak intensity of 115 miles per hour winds. Hurricane Four not only destroyed the St. George Island Lighthouse but also destroyed the nearby Dog Island Lighthouse. From 1851 through 1852 the lighthouse was rebuilt for the third time about 250-yard inland from the second location. Roughly two-thirds of the lighthouse was constructed from material from the previous lighthouse. This time, the lighthouse foundation was made of pine pilings driven deep into the sand for extra strength, walls 4 feet thick at the base and 2 feet thick at the top made of hydraulic cement. The light was also upgraded to a third-order Fresnel lens that was visible up to 15 nautical miles out to sea. 

In 1995, Hurricane Opal caused damage to the foundation by washing away sand around the tower which caused the tower to lean about 10 degrees from vertical. A few years later in 1998, Hurricane Georges further damaged the tower. By this time supporters raised money and funded the correction of the foundation and tower. By 2002, a new foundation was built and the tower’s tilt was corrected, however, in 2005 the tower collapsed. 

A few years later, island volunteers formed the St. George Light Association to reconstruct the lighthouse. This time the lighthouse was constructed in a more protected area of the island in a city park. 24,000 of the original 160,000 bricks were salvaged and used in the building of the new tower. By 2008, the new lighthouse was open to the public and people can climb to the top. There is also a museum on site where guests can learn about the rich history of the lighthouse.

Learn more about the St. George Island Lighthouse at the Museum website. You might also enjoy viewing the Cape San Blas Lighthouse, Crooked River Lighthouse, or even the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse.

St. George Island Lighthouse 360-degree panoramic image. Image date: 5/2022