Just south of Miami, near the beautiful community of Coral Gables, lies the beginning of the eight Florida Keys. A dangerous reef off Key Biscayne is known as Fowey Rocks, so named for a 1748 shipwreck of the HMS Fowey which confirmed the need for a lighthouse on the site.

However, it was not until 1875 that work began on the 110-foot skeletal tower. During the project, often delayed because of rough seas, two more merchant vessels ran aground. Fowey Rocks Light was first lit on June 15, 1878. Engineers constructed skeletal frameworks using wrought iron piles that had been developed in England in 1836. The open design enabled high winds to pass through with little wind resistance and the foundation did not settle into the soft bottom. This was tested when a strong hurricane struck the new lighthouse less than three months after its completion. Minimal damage included leaking windows in the cupola above the light room.

Its most distinguished feature is the beautiful two story, octagonal-shape Victorian-style quarters – complete with mansard roof and dormers – that sits on a platform high above the sea. Rising from the dwelling platform is the stair cylinder. Both the cylinder and dwelling are painted white, while the remainder of the structure is brown.

The beacon was a powerful first order Fresnel lens, which had actually been displayed, along with the upper part of the tower, in the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. Following automation, the lens was put on permanent display at the Coast Guard’s Aids to Navigation School in Yorktown, Virginia.

On clear days, Fowey Rocks Light can be seen from Cape Florida Light on the southern tip of Key Biscayne. It lies within the boundaries of Biscayne National Monument Park and remains an active aid to navigation. Currently, Fowey Rocks Light is not open to the public.