Northwest Passage Light
Encyclopedia
The Northwest Passage Light was a lighthouse
located eight miles (13 km) from Key West, Florida
, at the entrance to the northwest channel to the Key West harbor. The first light was a lightship
put on station in 1838. It is not known if the lightship survived the Great Havana Hurricane of 1846
, which destroyed the Sand Key
and Key West
lighthouses. The United States Lighthouse Board
requested funds to replace the lightship in 1852, citing the expense of maintaining it. The lightship was repaired and funding for a replacement lighthouse was delayed until 1854. The new lighthouse was completed in 1855.
The original fifth order Fresnel lens
was replaced with a fourth order lens after the Civil War
. In 1879 the deteriorating wooden structure was replaced with a new structure on the original iron pilings. The light was automated with acetylene
gas in 1911. The light was deactivated some time between then and 1971, when the wooden structure burned. The iron pilings remain, but are deteriorating. It is known locally as the "Hemingway house on the water", or "Hemingway Stilts", based on a legend that Ernest Hemingway
used to own or, at least, fish from the structure.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
located eight miles (13 km) from Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, at the entrance to the northwest channel to the Key West harbor. The first light was a lightship
Lightvessel
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship which acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction...
put on station in 1838. It is not known if the lightship survived the Great Havana Hurricane of 1846
Great Havana Hurricane of 1846
The Great Havana Hurricane of 1846 was a powerful late season hurricane that caused extensive damage and up to 255 deaths as it moved across Cuba, Florida, and the eastern United States before dissipating over the Canadian Maritimes.-Meteorological history:...
, which destroyed the Sand Key
Sand Key Light
Sand Key Light is located six nautical miles southwest of Key West, Florida, between Sand Key Channel and Rock Key Channel, two of the channels into Key West. It is located on a reef that is intermittently covered by sand. At times the key has been substantial enough to have trees, and in 1900 nine...
and Key West
Key West Light
The Key West lighthouse is located in Key West, Florida. The first Key West lighthouse was a tower completed in 1825. It had 15 lamps in 15-inch reflectors. The first keeper, Michael Mabrity, died in 1832, and his widow, Barbara, became the lighthouse keeper, serving for 32 years...
lighthouses. The United States Lighthouse Board
United States Lighthouse Board
The United States Lighthouse Board was the agency of the US Federal Government that was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses in the United States...
requested funds to replace the lightship in 1852, citing the expense of maintaining it. The lightship was repaired and funding for a replacement lighthouse was delayed until 1854. The new lighthouse was completed in 1855.
The original fifth order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
was replaced with a fourth order lens after the 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...
. In 1879 the deteriorating wooden structure was replaced with a new structure on the original iron pilings. The light was automated with acetylene
Acetylene
Acetylene is the chemical compound with the formula C2H2. It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution.As an alkyne, acetylene is unsaturated because...
gas in 1911. The light was deactivated some time between then and 1971, when the wooden structure burned. The iron pilings remain, but are deteriorating. It is known locally as the "Hemingway house on the water", or "Hemingway Stilts", based on a legend that Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
used to own or, at least, fish from the structure.