COME IN! Did you know that the Ponce Inlet Light Station is over 120 years old? Step through the picket fence and discover what life was like for keepers and their families at a time when the Light Station was still an isolated post located along Florida’s Atlantic coast. Visit the Light Station’s many historic structures and learn about the Light Station and regional history from Pre-Columbian times to the present.
	CLIMB THE TOWER! Each evening, an hour before sunset, a keeper would climb to the top of the Lighthouse carrying the kerosene fuel for the lamp. He had to keep the lamp burning evenly all night, which meant lots of work trimming wicks, regulating air flow in the lantern room, and keeping soot off the glass. Can you identify the Atlantic Ocean, Ponce Inlet, and inland waterways? Go outside and circle the tower on the observation deck for spectacular views. Pretend you’re a keeper and imagine what it would have been like to man your post during a terrible storm. How would you have handled a crisis?;
	VISIT THE HOUSES! The Light Station was once home to 3 keepers and their families. With no running water, indoor plumbing, electricity, or air conditioning, life at the station would have been very tough at the turn of the century. Look in the windows of the Gladys Meyer Davis House to see how a typical family lived. How is your house different? Visit the 2nd Assistant and Principal Keepers’ dwellings which are now home to numerous museum exhibit to learn more about the Light Station and regional history.
	EXPLORE THE OIL HOUSE! Why is the Oil House located so far from the tower? Close your eyes. Can you smell the kerosene that used to be stored here? The keepers carried a 5 gallon can of kerosene up to the lantern room of the tower each night. Try lifting the weighted can in this building and imagine what it was like to carry oil to the top of the Lighthouses every night.
	BE DAZZLED IN THE LENS MUSEUM! How did a small light like a kerosene lamp become a big light that could be seen 18 miles out to sea? Huge Fresnel lenses were used to bend the light into a single strong beam. Visit the Lens Exhibit Building and learn about the evolution of lighthouse illumination. Compare the massive Cape Canaveral First Order rotating Fresnel Lens with the Ponce Inlet First Order fixed Fresnel lens.
	VISIT THE BOAT YARD! Walk over to the Boat Yard and examine the historic charter boat Gay Wind that once operated out of Ponce Inlet. Imagine what it must have been like for the Cuban refugees who escaped communism in the homemade rafts now on exhibit at the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. What kinds of hardships do you think the refugees may have encountered during their voyage?
	SEE THE RADIO AND GENERATOR ROOM! Learn how early keepers powered the Light Station using kerosene generators. Examine the Radio Room exhibit and learn how radio waves were used to guide vessels off the coast. Discover how Daytona Beach and neighboring communities served as a major Navy training area during World War II and how Coast Guardsman stationed at the Lighthouse kept watch for enemy German U-Boats along Florida’s shores.
	EXPLORE THE COASTAL HAMMOCK! Take a walk through the natural coastal hammock behind the Light Station and discover what life was like for early Florida pioneers. Search for flora and fauna used and consumed by Light Station families when this was still an isolated post. Observe wildlife in their natural habitat including birds, lizards, and the protected Gopher Tortoise. How would you have liked to live in Florida at time when hammocks such as this served as your backyard?
	WATCH A HERITAGE REMEMBERED! Learn the unique and interesting history of the Ponce Inlet Light Station and surrounding area during this informative 20 minute video produced by the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association. Located in the Woodshed Theatre, A Heritage Remember is a wonderful way to kick off your tour of the historic Light Station. Copies are available for checkout by teachers. Contact Bob Callister at (386) 761-1821 ext. 18 for details.

Related Links

• Seeing the Light: Detailed brochure covering what to see and do during a Self-Guided Tour including an in-depth examination of principal exhibits. Seeing the Light may also be downloaded in printable format.


• A Heritage Remembered: 20 minute video on DVD produced by the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association. A Heritage Remembered DVDs are available for loan to local teachers planning to visit the Light Station and for purchase at the Gift Shop and online at www.poncelighthousestore.org.