Story By Tamara Hooks
Alligator Lighthouse is a popular destination for keys boaters. It is located 4 nautical miles offshore in shallow and often remarkably clear waters just off Matecumbe Key. The underwater topography around the tower is essentially flat and sandy, devoid of any turtle grass or coral reefs. It’s been a favored destination for boaters for years, but few know much about it’s history.
It was first automated in 1964 as a navigational aide to ships, and was last operational in July of 2014. The structure is built of iron, painted white. The lighthouse was named after the U.S. Navy schooner, The Alligator, a ship that was part of an anti-piracy squadron deployed from Key West that sunk in 1822.
After it’s sinking, the U.S. Navy scrambled to salvage any valuable artifacts from the ship, then subsequently blew up the remains.
The lighthouse cost the government $185,000 dollars to build – a lot of money at the time.
If you’re out exploring the waters off Islamorada and the Upper Matecumbe Keys – add this to your list of must-see sights.
Tamara is the creator of Florida Keys Vacation Guides. She lived in the keys for fifteen years, developing a deep romance with the islands. Currently she works in San Antonio, Texas as a magazine designer for San Antonio Woman Magazine, 78209 Magazine and Texas Dove Hunters Magazine. Her days are spent toiling away building editorial and advertisements for Texas magazines, but with a screen saver of the keys. Homesickness led her to develop this site. When she’s not working on this site in her “Woman Cave”, she likes to work-out, read, cook gourmet meals, binge watch Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, Guy Fieri’s, Diners, Drive Inns & Dives, The Curse Of Oak Island and add new elements to her epic Halloween “Pirates Of The Caribbean” encounter.