Tim Harrison of the ALF passed this letter from Tom Taylor onto Harbour Lights. If any of you are interested in assisting with this event for Sand Key, please contact the ALF. I don't know at this time how involved Harbour Lights will become on such short notice but I wanted to assist in helping Sand Key celebrate such a remarkable Anniversary. Keep the Flame!
"July 20th marks the 250th Anniversary of the Lighting of the Sand Key Lighthouse in 1853. It is the second oldest, active, iron-pile lighthouse in the United States and a structure which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I am hoping that we can find some ways to celebrate this event in Key West and throughout the Keys.
My first lighthouse article on a general history of the reef-lights was published in the June 1st edition of the Key West Citizen. The next article in the series is on Carysfort Reef Lighthouse, and the third is on the Sand Key Lighthouse. I think they will publish my articles about every couple of weeks or so, so at that rate, the Sand Key article might run sometime in early July, perhaps in time to commemorate this event. I am thinking about contacting the editor of the Key West Citizen to see if we could run this article on Sunday, July 20th, as part of the celebration, and we could include other articles as well as a full page of beautiful photographs.
If you or anyone else could think of other ways we could help commemorate this event, it would be great.
Perhaps we could encourage all the glass-bottom boats and dive boats which go out to Sand Key that weekend to say a few words about the history of the lighthouse during their trips to let people know that the lighthouse is celebrating a major birthday. We could supply them with info sheets on the subject if they like. Maybe even the Conch Train could find a way to include some information on the Sand Key Lighthouse during its regular tour during that weekend? Maybe the local radio stations could mention it occasionally during the weekend?
Several months ago, I sent an article about the Sand Key Lighthouse to Wayne Wheeler of the United States Lighthouse Society, and it will be the cover, feature story in his Summer edition of the Keeper's Log. That should help us get some national attention for this historic lighthouse, but it may not come out until August, so it might be too late for us.
If I can be of help in any way, to give a special talk about the Sand Key Lighthouse at the Key West Lighthouse or at the Library there in Key West, please let me know. Perhaps I could also do a book signing of the Florida Lighthouse Trail at the lighthouse that weekend.
I think it is fortuitous that this event does occur on a Sunday this year, so we can do something during the busy weekend to commemorate this event.
Best wishes,
Tom Taylor"
