Amelia Island Lighthouse goes dark due to lens malfunction

Since the early 1800s, the Amelia Island Lighthouse has provided a beacon for vessels, and a history lesson for those far and wide.

Today, it sits dark.

"While they were cleaning it, one of the bullseyes fell loose and fell into the lens," Nan Voit, Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Fernandina Beach, said.

It's not just any old lens. It's a Fresnel lens, which is imported from France. This one in particular was put in back in 1903. Voit says the race is on to get it back up and running.

“The United States Coast Guard is hiring a lampist to come out and look and see what needs to be done to repair the light,” Voit said.

The Amelia Island Lighthouse is the oldest, still operating lighthouse in the state of Florida.  In the old days, whale oil was transported from a small, adjacent house and taken to the top to light the way for ships. In 1933, it went electric.

Voit says people from around the world come to watch it's nightly illumination.  For all those reasons and more, they want it fixed.

"It's part of our heritage and it's really important to our community that we get our light back circling around," Voit said. "The U.S. Coast Guard says it's getting quotes to get the lens fixed and at this time -- don't have a timeline on when repairs will be made."

Cox Media Group