Cedar Key Light
Encyclopedia
The Cedar Key Light is located on Seahorse Key across the harbor from Cedar Key, Florida
. Seahorse Key was the site a watchtower erected in 1801 by followers of William Augustus Bowles
, self-designated Director General of the State of Muscogee, an attempt to set up an independent state in the western part of East Florida
. The watchtower was destroyed by a Spanish
naval force in 1802. Seahorse Key was used as a detention center for Seminole
s captured in the Second Seminole War
(1835–1842) before transfer to the West
. At that time the Federal government
reserved several of the islands in the Cedar Keys archipelago for military use.
Cedar Key became an important port during the 1840s, and in 1850 Congress
appropriated funding for a lighthouse on Seahorse Key. Lieutenant George Meade
helped design the lighthouse. The lighthouse was completed and lit in 1854. At the beginning of the American Civil War
Confederate
sympathizers extinguished the light. Federal troops occupied Seahorse Key in 1862, and used it as a prison for the duration of the war. The lighthouse was put back into service after the war ended.
As of 2006, the lighthouse is serving as a 26 bunk dormitory, operated by the University of Florida
, for the marine laboratory in the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge
.
Cedar Key, Florida
Cedar Key is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 790 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 958. The Cedar Keys are a cluster of islands close to the mainland. Most of the developed area of the city has been on...
. Seahorse Key was the site a watchtower erected in 1801 by followers of William Augustus Bowles
William Augustus Bowles
William Augustus Bowles , also known as Estajoca, was a Maryland-born English adventurer and organizer of Native American attempts to create their own state outside of Euro-American control. He is also affectionately called Billy Bowlegs, although there is no evidence that he ever used that name...
, self-designated Director General of the State of Muscogee, an attempt to set up an independent state in the western part of East Florida
East Florida
East Florida was a colony of Great Britain from 1763–1783 and of Spain from 1783–1822. East Florida was established by the British colonial government in 1763; as its name implies it consisted of the eastern part of the region of Florida, with West Florida comprising the western parts. Its capital...
. The watchtower was destroyed by a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
naval force in 1802. Seahorse Key was used as a detention center for Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
s captured in the Second Seminole War
Seminole Wars
The Seminole Wars, also known as the Florida Wars, were three conflicts in Florida between the Seminole — the collective name given to the amalgamation of various groups of native Americans and Black people who settled in Florida in the early 18th century — and the United States Army...
(1835–1842) before transfer to the West
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. At that time the Federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
reserved several of the islands in the Cedar Keys archipelago for military use.
Cedar Key became an important port during the 1840s, and in 1850 Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
appropriated funding for a lighthouse on Seahorse Key. Lieutenant George Meade
George Meade
George Gordon Meade was a career United States Army officer and civil engineer involved in coastal construction, including several lighthouses. He fought with distinction in the Second Seminole War and Mexican-American War. During the American Civil War he served as a Union general, rising from...
helped design the lighthouse. The lighthouse was completed and lit in 1854. At the beginning of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
sympathizers extinguished the light. Federal troops occupied Seahorse Key in 1862, and used it as a prison for the duration of the war. The lighthouse was put back into service after the war ended.
As of 2006, the lighthouse is serving as a 26 bunk dormitory, operated by the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, for the marine laboratory in the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge
Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge
The Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located near Cedar Key, at the western end of SR 24. The refuge was established in 1929....
.