CEDAR KEYS LIGHTHOUSE

By  Mike Miller  May 16, 2025

The Cedar Keys Lighthouse sits on Seahorse Key, three miles from Cedar Key, Florida. Built in 1854, it’s a two-story structure with a short tower. The lighthouse guided ships through the Gulf.

It’s part of the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge. Now, it serves as a University of Florida marine lab dormitory. The lighthouse is a historic landmark of Florida’s Nature Coast. 

Cedar Keys Lighthouse, courtesy of Lighthouse Friends

Construction began in 1850, led by George Meade, later a Civil War general. It was lit in 1854 to aid lumber and pencil factory shipments.

During the Civil War, Confederate forces darkened it in 1861. Union troops occupied it in 1862, damaging Cedar Key’s port. The light resumed in 1866.

By the 1890s, a hurricane and resource depletion hurt the area. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1915. In 1929, Seahorse Key joined the wildlife refuge.  

The lighthouse is on Seahorse Key, accessible only by boat from Cedar Key. Take Highway 24 to Cedar Key, then arrange a tour with Tidewater Tours or Cedar Key Boat Rentals.

The island is open to the public twice yearly, typically during the October Seafood Festival. Check Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge website for open house dates.

The island closes from March 1 to June 30 for bird nesting. Bring water, sunscreen, and bug spray. No amenities are available. The spiral staircase may be closed, limiting lantern room access.  

• It’s the oldest standing lighthouse on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
   
• The light was visible 15 miles away with a fourth-order Fresnel lens.
   
• A replica lens was installed in 2019, lit for special events.  
  
  
• Seahorse Key’s 52.3-foot dune is the highest point on Florida’s west coast.  
  
  
• A small cemetery holds graves of keeper William Wilson and assistant Catharine Hobday, the only woman to serve there.
   
• The island hosts nesting birds like herons and pelicans.
   
• Pirate Jean Lafitte used Seahorse Key as a lookout around 1800.
   
• The University of Florida’s marine lab studies local ecosystems.  

CEDAR KEYS LIGHTHOUSE WEBSITE