Episode 64 - Pensacola Lighthouse

Happy Halloween everyone! Today we're covering the spooktacular Pensacola Lighthouse, home of the Blue Angels and spirits of long past...Listen in for the story of how this 40 foot lighthouse became a 150 foot beauty.

Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com

References:

1. Pensacola Lighthouse Website
2. Pensacola Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends
3. Pensacola Lighthouse considered one of most haunted in America | WKRG
4. Winslow Lewis: A Nineteenth Century Lighthouse Scalawag | USLHS
5. Winslow Lewis | USLHS Archives
6. Winslow Lewis | National Archives
7. Pensacola Lighthouse Timeline
8. Pensacola X | Reddit

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hi everyone, I'm Emily and I'm Vince and this is the lighthouse

(00:16):
Well, not really spooky not spooky disappointingly spooky
Sad spooky or what's happening? I mean just I wanted it to be more haunted
For those who aren't sitting here with us it is
Late October so that's why when this comes out. It'll be the 28th

(00:37):
Nice just before Halloween the week of Halloween dope. So I tried to pick a lighthouse. That was a little bit
spooky
It's not as spooky as I
Wanted it to be oh well still considered one of the most haunted places in the u.s.
I mean that can be

(00:57):
That can be good for the people in the story if it's not as spooky as you wanted
Yeah, I suppose. I think I think what actually happened is that it is very spooky. It's very haunted but
the
Evidence is lacking and I'm a little skeptical about some of it
No one's made a documentary about this there have been a couple episodes two episodes of ghost hunters on the subject and they did

(01:20):
they experience some things but they the problem is whenever haunted places go too far into details about who these people are it's like
You don't know really I mean
If you give them first and last names like you're telling me
I don't know just how do you know for sure

(01:40):
Like a reading said yes when you said is this this man like how well do you think they really know what we talked there?
What their earthly names used to be I actually can't remember who it was it's been a while now
But we talked to someone who does paranormal investigation. Yeah here on the podcast was that about a year ago. So that last October
Yeah, that was yeah for Marquette Harbor lighthouse. That's right. That's right

(02:02):
We talked Marquette Harbor and and I think they were talking about individuals. They know who died
There on the grounds and so they were suspect that that was the ghost
Yeah, so first and last name in those cases. Is that what you're saying?
Well one of the instance that I was talking about he didn't die there. Oh, so it's like I don't know
I just I don't know they were you per paranormal by the way. That's right

(02:24):
I follow them on Facebook so I get a lot of notifications. I think I actually do as well
Yeah, you're not a big social media fan. Okay, so I'm gonna go into a history buoy. I am on a roll of history buoys
we love it and
I'm gonna talk about Winslow Lewis because I mentioned him and I I'm pretty sure it was on our last episode. I

(02:47):
Said something negative about him and I was like man, I really hope I'm right about the potential murderer suspect. No
Vince just checks out while I'm talking
I'm just kidding. Um, he's the guy who built lighthouses and had no experience in building lighthouses
Yeah, so that's what I'm gonna talk about today. I was right and

(03:11):
In the lighthouse community. He's not
Talked about very nicely or well-liked and I'll go well, no he earned it
Okay, so I'll go into detail
So a lot of this information I'm gonna tell you is based off of an article in the keepers log by the US LHS
So this was posted in like their magazine good reading good reading. So Winslow Lewis was born May

(03:33):
1770 so we were going way back
Lewis was a sea captain living in well fleet, Massachusetts. We've been there died there as well. So
Really book in did his life there. He put forth his design for a quote-unquote new
Lamp for the lighthouse service at that time lighthouse establishment US lighthouse about what year?

(03:55):
1810 he panted it
So let me pull the picture. I have the picture from the actual patent which was burned
So this is believed to be the photo that was included in the patent Wow
So on the left for those that are viewing it on YouTube
We have a good YouTube following now for those on YouTube
The left is what was considered to be in the patent and the right is like an up close version of where you see

(04:20):
DCB that whole area. Yeah up close little detail. I found that online, you know, it's like a clothes rack
version of a lantern
so
Here's what it is. This is the design for an Oregon lamp
Okay
a type of fuel
Oregon is a the last name of the guy who invented the Oregon lamp which

(04:45):
was revolutionary much better than what we were using before and
Used widely overseas starting in 1784
So long before this guy came forward with this for a long time
I came forward with this but the US was behind we were still using spider lamps. And so this design
used half of the oil I

(05:08):
Hate these dealing European concepts is that you're saying okay
So this lamp used half the oil of the spider lamps that we were using
Efficient and had a much higher candle power. Well, what Lewis did was take the Argon lamp design
slap a green magnifying lens on the front of it, which actually lowered the candle power
You know the power of the lamp design is lowered by adding color in front of the wavelength such as green. Yeah, and

(05:35):
Especially just like a surface that is between yeah up true. Yeah obstructing up truiting up truiting
to see up to singles
But so this was far superior to what we had but the credit really goes to Oregon
But we didn't have that design here. So he patented it and he's all just put a green light green lens on there

(05:57):
So it's technically a new design
Stink so 1810 he comes out with this patent. Yes
I don't know how it worked back in the day, but I assume that means he was awarded the patent
So it was reviewed and deemed by Congress. Yeah, so it's Congress deemed
Again, I don't know if this has always been the rule
But there's something about patents where it has to be unique. Mm-hmm, and it's it can't be repeatable

(06:23):
Like on accident I go I accidentally made this process or this product. Yeah, so his Argon lamp knockoff
Exactly with a green tint. Uh-huh. What did he say the green tent was for is that legible in this document?
I never know. I never saw it. I believe I mean
It's clear to me that he added the green to differentiate it for an Argon lamp, which would automatically mean that his patent has no value

(06:49):
interesting
but
So this lamp obviously had lots of problems because he didn't have the design for the Argon lamp
So he used a copper plate on the parabolic reflector part that had a silver coating on it and
One the copper would easily warp under the heat of its own candle

(07:11):
So that's already problematic the silver coating scratched really easily like just cleaning it with like a cloth could scratch it
So it's just worthless
I'm being really hateful on here, but it's all fact was the Argon lamp at the time. Was it like a silver alloy?
I don't know that was more durable probably curious
I mean, I I can't I have no idea what was going on

(07:34):
In 1800 yeah material science goes right. That's funny though
And then another thing is soot built up really easily on this green lens. They had going on
regardless
Congress purchased the patent for a very large sum and
awarded Lewis
The like contract to put one of these lamps in every single lighthouse that existed in the u.s

(07:57):
At that time this guy was making bank government projects. I know
I'm pretty sure the article said something like
Anthos began
Lewis dipping his hand into the government pockets or something like that was it it's like ooh brutal
I'm getting ahead of myself. Did this turn into like a family fortune over time?
I don't know the only family member that I heard about in especially in this article, but like other ones as well

(08:22):
Was IWP Lewis who was his nephew and he was his arch nemesis
So i'll talk about that briefly in a second this
contracting and like
You know
This award patent and everything kind of plunged him into the world of navigational aids whether it wasn't a lot of experience going on and

(08:43):
So he just kind of started winning bids to build lighthouses
And there was a bunch of stuff in between too
Like he was awarded being the only supplier of the oil that they used in the lighthouses
Sounds fishy. Yeah, sounds like he was given some kickback to some early corrupt politicians
What does that even mean? Do you don't make oil? So what do you mean?
Yeah, the sole source. Yeah supplier. Yep

(09:05):
Very strange. Don't even know how that happened
But eventually in there he started winning bids for lighthouses because he was always the low bid
Because he had no idea. I mean like I'm because i'm sure he was doing it as cheaply as possible and they're like, oh excellent
Make this lighthouse for four thousand dollars and it's like well your name's on that patent. So you must be the lighthouse man

(09:25):
Yeah, you've got all the knowledge
So louis won these bits and built a lot of lighthouses in the u.s. Uh,
I saw over 80 and
Maybe I don't I mean, I don't really know the exact number but over 80 at the time
But these lighthouses were super short-lived because they were beat built cheaply and he had zero
engineering background and he was just like in charge of

(09:51):
lighthouse designs
I just blow my mind like today you could not build anything without having like an engineering certification or something
Certified to get sealed all that yeah, so only a couple of his lighthouses survived today like literally a couple
And he built 90 somewhere over 80
He had five standard lighthouses built in the u.s.

(10:13):
Over 80 he had five standard designs for lighthouses ranging from 25 to 65 feet tall
So like he would select one depending on how tall he'd want the lighthouse to be but they were like cookie cutter
Well, it's not smart because the point of lighthouses is that they all look extremely different from each other or mostly
I'm gonna pull up a picture. That's so funny the day more the day marks

(10:35):
Differencified enough though. Look at this
Always white always blacktop
Like rounded you can see there's some design differences. I got I got pictures pulled up
We got um the first lighthouse at robin's reef. We have chatham lighthouse
Oh, yeah, we know chatham and the one in the middle. I think it's called cape elizabeth lighthouse

(10:56):
Oh, I like that all of these no longer standing. I I am pretty sure so
Yeah, that makes sense, but you can tell his designs are all originating from the exact same thing
Just scaled up into different heights. I mean there's there's some practicality to that
There's some there's some intelligence in doing that but for lighthouses

(11:17):
You can't really just scale things up to me
No, but there's you know, the right sales pitch you can sell something especially to folks
What percentage of people now or back then?
Like could have an intelligent conversation on the structure of a lighthouse in the utility of a lighthouse. Yeah, like
Not a lot of folks

(11:37):
Right and 65 is not that crazy tall
So no, you'll see in our lighthouse today, which was actually an accident
that uh
Winslow lewis built a lighthouse that was insufficient for the
Space because he just pulled from one of his standard designs and it didn't work. That's son of a bitch

(11:59):
Exactly
Okay, you know steven pleasantin we've talked about him before I don't know the name
He's the he was the fifth auditor of the treasury
And was close with lewis and placed a lot of confidence in him because steven pleasantin had nothing had no idea
Anything?
What he's a fraud?
So many words escaping me
He had no experience in lighthouses as well and was supposed to be in charge of stuff like that

(12:24):
Like the treasury was in charge before the lighthouse board was right, right?
So whatever lewis told him he listened and like people, you know when it started coming out people are like this guy is a fraud
This guy is building garbage and you know, his lamps are useless
I can't see when i'm sailing

(12:44):
Um, he would always back him up always had his back. So that's nice. That's a nice friend. It's too bad. He's
Incompetent and lewis was the one who told steven pleasantin that fresnel lenses were not that great far too expensive and
He had a couple of
Seamen say that the u.s's lamps were no different
So there'd be no purpose in spending all that money to have fresnel lenses. You wouldn't want the yeah, you wouldn't know

(13:10):
It's just superior european new innovation. Yeah, we don't want to look crazy doing all that and he listened
So that's kind of part of why we delayed getting fresnel lenses for so long because this doofus
What if it's just paying everybody well the the whole reason that he would do that is because he wants to one keep supplying oil sure to
To keep his lamps as being the ones and because they're so poorly made and so easily damaged

(13:36):
He keeps getting to replace the parts and make money from all that. So yeah, it's like chevrolet building trucks
You want to elaborate on that?
I don't know
Well, I could just say ford or dodge any of the american companies people always make jokes like that like
Well, they build it to break they don't build it to last because they're they're counting on you coming in for a new transmission
That stinks new engine and that's where they make their money. It's not actually true

(14:00):
Um, but people say that as a as a knock on their neighbor's truck. Yeah, so
That's funny. Anyways, thank you for the insight. Mr. Pleasanton was in office from 1820 to 1852
So we had 32 solid years of
not
Informed decision making on american lighthouses

(14:24):
That's a very precise way to say that
So 1852 is when the lighthouse board took over so all that so lewis
Lewis so we already know that he's capable of stealing a patent design subtly changing it a little bit to be his own
He dipped so low. Let me tell you
So he stole stole
A patent idea from his friend david melville and this is all recorded

(14:50):
He had evidence and everything. It was just stolen
He was an inventor of the time
And came up with an idea to keep oil warm in the winter. So it didn't like get thick and
you know make it harder for the light like often the
Candles would go out because the oil is too cold
So they like had ideas to put stoves in the lantern room to like try and keep it warmer

(15:12):
But it just didn't work very well
So david had an idea
And was having dinner with lewis and two other people so there were witnesses to this
Lewis was like, I don't think I understand your idea. I don't get it. So david
Drew a picture of his idea explained it in detail and then told him that he was testing it and already knew that it worked

(15:34):
Lewis was like, oh, this is a great idea. Um, i'll go pitch it in washington and let you know what happens
So I think it was almost two years go by and melville's like
I haven't heard anything from you. Have you pitched it to him? Like did they say anything and lewis responded with this letter?
That basically was like I have zero recollection of that ever happening

(15:56):
and I think some people have already patented this idea and
Melville did some digging and found out that the person who patented this idea was lewis and he was just like oh there was
There's a guy named jackson and a guy named black who?
both have patented something similar and he looks and
It was just in the public record. He's lying to his buddy. Yeah

(16:19):
so then
Melville had this huge legal battle because he's like
You can't pat like, you know that you're making bank off of this idea because it's really important. It's like a great thing
And lewis was like demeaning him in letters and stuff like I have never heard such language from my friend and like

(16:39):
Just being like gaslighting him basically like a gentleman. Yeah
Like they do and kept like dodging his
Letters and stuff and so then melville would have people deliver letters in person so that he knows that lewis got the letter. Oh my oh my gosh
It's so intense. So in the end lewis's patent was null but

(17:00):
There wasn't really much that came out of that
It's not like I didn't read that like melville was really wealthy and that he patented the idea and everything
But so his melville was his nephew or my crossing no no melville was just his friend his friend and did what was melville's?
invention
Did we discuss it? Okay, it was just that as a future. Yeah, that's a good idea. I like talking about those patents. Anyways

(17:21):
Yeah, that would be cool to track like
The years that it was patented and everything
So that's just goes to show
His character in the end. I think that you would steal an idea like that pretend that you didn't and then I know and it's just
And listen, there's probably a bunch of other great things that he did, but i'm just basing off of us lhs

(17:46):
Fact history's tough, man. Yeah, I mean if what if that's not true
Just supposed what if none of that was true?
And some like you just you're just slandered and the whole community
You know 200 years later. He's talking about you as a fraud and a thief and I i'm not saying that to defend him. I'm just
what's written down

(18:07):
between a number of parties is eventually agreed upon as
Truth. Yeah, especially I mean now I would say more things are provable than back then right but back then even you know
If you had a dinner with other people there, that's
Like admissible in court. Yeah, you know, and I guess it still would be right

(18:27):
Yeah, and in that court those guys came in and testified like we were there
This is the picture he had in the patent is the one that this guy drew. We had pork chops
He served red wine. I was a little drunk but not too drunk to remember
Here's my handwritten letter for the invite to prove that I was
It does blow my mind that the only thing that I can't remember

(18:48):
I don't know if I remember it was like a
The only way to correspond with people was written letters
You just had to send a letter and be like
stewing until they respond or
Like I hope they got that you never actually know now. We just send a text message is there in less than a second

(19:10):
You're I'm not gonna take the time to look up what it is. So you're gonna judge me
I don't know the author nor the book. Okay, okay
But I listened to an audiobook recommended by one of our listeners and a friend of mine
Now it's been two years. So that's my excuse
Oh, that's right
I but it was it was on one of the gentleman who was credited it was so as a

(19:31):
Biography one of the gentleman who was credited for a lot of geology discovery
So talking about rock formations and how to find oil and minerals and how to drill in
like the early days in England, I believe and
And the whole story is based on it's telling telling the story of this gentleman from age

(19:51):
20 to 70 something when he was really active in that community and
brilliant person lots of interesting discoveries several interesting patents and
You know, he would go see his wealthy
Friend and see a rock that they had collected that was on their shelf and a collection of rocks eventually grew in his house

(20:13):
and it was renowned that people would come and talk in the community about his work and geology and his collection of rock and
you know different layers and yeah description of how
There are layers of earth over time
clearly defined and you can follow a vein of gold and you can follow a vein to oil or coal or these resources and

(20:35):
So massively important for the time the point of this and why it's relevant. I'm thinking the timeline for one
older but even so yeah and to like
Gentlemen to get together to discuss their rocks. Yeah, but but really it was
Groundbreaking it was like what if we could discover all the gold?
Yeah
What if we could be the most powerful men ever as far as wealth goes?

(20:56):
Because of this dude wandered around the hills and was brilliant and thought about what if the earth is like cake
So that's massively simplified but it is it is interesting to me so much of history in a I don't know the age of this photo on
screen now, but we're looking American Lighthouse Foundation supplied photo of
Elizabeth and just like

(21:19):
Now
Today that could be AI that could be a sketch
It could be you know what the authenticity is gonna go away, but throughout history paper was everything a photo was
Yeah, totally admissible now photos are not not at all miss ability videos were for a while
Not anymore for example like I was just saying the patent burned because there was some fire at you know in some

(21:43):
Government building where they lost a bunch of right historical
Really?
What?
What is this?
No, I don't know. I'm just saying like the image was supposedly the image. You know the library of Alexandria
Will never know right was there mm-hmm. Yeah, because it burns
You got nothing and they were like, oh we think that this was

(22:04):
The picture that was in the patent. It's like you'll never really know
It's so crazy. Now. We've got everything is permanent
Well until it's not if I'm getting carried away. I know. Oh, here we go. You know the whole
doomsday
Preppers folks talk about
various scenarios where
Electronics become unusable we have almost nothing like on paper that we can go reference

(22:32):
As individuals, I mean even if the world didn't end it would be really interesting if a bunch of us just lost some of our electronics
just
Set us back because that's our modern-day tool well even think about it you wouldn't have pumps pushing water into your pipes
What would you do? What do you do correct? Oh, well, thank you for the
Little sidetracked there a history boo within a history buoy the coffee really gets me sidetracking. I'm sorry about that everyone

(22:59):
No, I like it. It's good. That's that's where it's this is where it happens
This is the podcast where it all happens. Good luck skipping that history buoy
That is so funny
Check out our YouTube comments for anyone who wants to understand we love getting comments from people so much fun
and another note

(23:19):
is that we need to start covering lighthouses that people are asking us to cover and
We've done a couple, but I think I'm gonna make a little mini series of
People who requests yes, and there's I mean they're all
Yeah, so there's no reason not to so I'm going to that's great, and it's about to be your episode next

(23:39):
I'm gonna get a little break, and then I'm gonna be doing listener lighthouses
Okay moving on so early
We were talking about David Melville, which is his friend his nephew who is who you were thinking of is
IWP Lewis, and he was a civil engineer and a lighthouse expert who was just against
Winslow Lewis in that he had experience in the area saw that his stuff was garbage and

(24:05):
Probably knew enough about his character should be like
Okay, I feel bad. I'm trashing all over it, but like this these are things that are
What you found okay, you're reporting on what you found we don't know I hate just being like I don't know them
I don't know him, so I'm just going by you know word of mouth
Which we'll try to be responsible with the information yeah
If there was an article that said a bunch of nice things about him, and that was it then I would also use that but there isn't

(24:31):
Okay, so his nephew was against him he reported that the lighthouses of the US in 1843 were quote all
More or less defective and all crying out for continual repairs
So he was definitely advocating against his his uncle there
National Archives mentions Winslow Lewis as quote able to thrive in this era lacking in wholesome regulation

(24:59):
So just like taking advantage of things and like in the end
He was an incredible businessman in that he made millions of dollars
in contracts and just like
This is what's gonna make me the most money and so that's what I'm gonna do
So you can commend him for having business skills, but play the game as people who love lighthouses

(25:19):
I think it's a great disservice
And that's all I have to say about that haters gonna hate passed away in 1850
So shortly after that lighthouse board took over clean shit up
1850
Passed away patented in 1810 born in 1770
Excellent memory good date recollection. So he lived a full life. Yeah, it wasn't murdered

(25:45):
Unlike some people possibly in this episode
Again with the arm movements, okay, let's get into our lighthouse of the day
That was a really long day. I'm sorry. I'm sorry
Okay, let's get into our lighthouse of the day. That was a really long history boy. Oh, yeah. Wow. That was a long time

(26:06):
Okay, wow
I'm so sorry everybody. This is a long one
So we are heading to pensacola, florida. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I knew you were gonna
Jump right on that and you'll probably have some things to say about what i'm talking about
Pensacola was the oldest european settlement in mainland america in
In 1559 even though it was a failure. So it was abandoned for a while longer

(26:32):
Because there was immediate hurricane and just wiped out like a bunch of people. It was crazy
Hurricane massacre florida's been floriding for a long time. Yeah
A little mapy map here for those that don't know pensacola is
Almost not florida. It's all
What's next to that gulf shores is off to the west and destin is off to the

(26:54):
west the left which is west and the right on map is
East what is what is the is this?
Louisiana next to it, georgia. Oh my gosh
Honestly, we need we seriously need to get our geography together i'm from kansas
We don't know we're in the middle. That's all we know one moment. I used to live in texas. So

(27:16):
At least I had some kind of some relation some closeness to this. I drove through this
I drove through this these states. Okay, so to be fair
florida
The panhandle I think they say goes out west. All right
Above it is georgia. Okay, but
Alabama is to the west. Are you certain because that that does this so gulf shores?

(27:42):
Look at the alabama. Look at the state line
I don't see you another one branching off that it's all one state. No, i'm saying alabama shares the coast
Oh george is just north so
kinstin
Samson geneva, those are all georgia. Are you sure?
All right. Well excellent wait

(28:03):
I think it's all louisiana
Let me see
alabama
Let me see montgomery
Can I has
Yeah, that's all alabama roof
We got to edit that I can't look that stupid no, we are we are just who we are. Okay, you're right

(28:24):
Oh, yeah, louisiana is not even close
I don't know. I don't apologize
Everybody knows this is what it means to be human
We're just being as real as you can possibly be
I'm leaving it in
Give me our true selves
um anyway

(28:44):
So the u.s took control
Of florida from spain in 1821 which for some reason sounds really soon
1821 hold on
Louis patented his idea 11 years before that. What did you just say the u.s took control of florida?

(29:04):
Via spain from spain
They took it from spain. Oh, okay. Gosh 1821 english is hard
Yeah, florida has the first settlement ever and uh,
Really, I think we talked about this over near. I don't know on the on the east coast
The oldest city in the united states is what i'm thinking of. Oh, st. Augustine. Yeah, did we talk about them?

(29:28):
I think there's been many lighthouses there and the originals were
That's right. Yeah. Yeah spanish. Yeah when we did that we appropriated
Six thousand dollars two years after for a lighthouse. So we quickly started moving in and making changes
And placed it so that ships entering
The harbor pensacola bay. Is that what that is? I think so

(29:49):
Okay, but they placed it so that the ships entering the bay could aim directly for the lighthouse
And make it easier on everybody. Nice. That's good
The aurora borealis light ship was placed here while the light was being built
Which I think is cool because we've talked about the aurora borealis
Borealis, it's called something else now, I think yeah, but the lighthouse was built by none other than

(30:10):
Our wonderful wenslow lewis for a low bid of four thousand nine hundred and twenty seven dollars
selected by steven pleasantin
crazy
That's just so funny that it's like i'll select the low bid of my friend wenslow lewis
You stinkers. What is all this corruption? Yep

(30:32):
Bids you're just like a staring at me the land of opportunity. Yeah, exactly
So this lighthouse was completed 1824 using his 40 foot design cookie cutter design kind of small
With a flashing white light that was on for seven seconds and dark for 63 seconds
So very long dark period which actually continued

(30:52):
This like long dark period after a flash for a while. It's a one in ten ratio. Mm-hmm
Interesting pulled up picture looks familiar
Looks familiar. Is it a wind vane on top?
Uh, yeah, or a flag. It almost looks like it's fake. So i'm not totally certain on that. Yeah
They just needed to add a little oomph so they colored in a tiny flag

(31:16):
I don't know. You can tell that that's a wenslow lewis design
Yeah, it looks like them
Didn't stay for very long. Well, then it wasn't well the water's right there
Right, uh, looking at the water that looks like yeah, maybe anyways at this same time the u.s. Also started construction
1826 on the pensacola navy yard today. This is where the naval air station pensacola is

(31:41):
And the lighthouse is within these grounds. So if you want to visit the lighthouse, it has to be within the navy's opening
Open times can't just like walk in no, you can't just be like on the grounds at any time
The navy yard dealt with suppression of slave trade and piracy in its early years
And then in the civil war most of it was reduced to rubble by the confederates and was rebuilt following the war

(32:02):
And in world war one pensacola had the only naval air station which rapidly expanded over time
Today is the home of the blue angels and our beautiful pensacola lighthouse. Hell. Yes, go america
There's a wicked photo that i'm going to show at the end of the lighthouse with the blue angels in it
It's amazing. There's a lot of super cool pictures online. So everyone should check it out

(32:27):
So our first keeper jeremiah ingraham married and had three children in the lighthouse
And died in 1840 his wife micaela took over as keeper officially until she passed in 1855
And this lighthouse actually has a lot of history of woman keepers
I think she might have been the only head keeper
Um, especially for 15 years. That's insane

(32:50):
And actually official but there was also a lot of second assistant keepers who were women who took over for like their husbands if they passed away so
That's so nuts taking names and kicking butt
That pollen oil. Yeah
You'd have to have muscles. Oh, yeah, they weren't messing around
By 1850 complaints were rampant about the lighthouse being far too dim and short

(33:14):
Often covered by trees from view
Why didn't you just build it taller?
Why a bit?
I asked that question on all the construction projects. Why are we taking low bid offers?
Why are we allowing this to happen? So 1852 the lighthouse board
Brand new called for a new quote first class seacoast light

(33:36):
End quote which something i've said in our past couple episodes. Yeah that
Someone just takes control and is like we need a first class seacoast light
We can't have this second class shit
Yeah, none of this garbage lewis garbage as I said in our last episode when they say
First class seacoast light it means it's tall

(33:59):
Sexy. Oh, yeah, i'm getting excited
1854 so two years later congress allocated 25 000 for a new one
As well as 30 000 two years later to aid in the completing the construction. It's always so much more expensive government work. Yep, and the
151 foot white tower was lit with a first order for nellins on january 1st 1859 january 1st

(34:23):
Nice cute. I've seen a couple instances of that terrible ton of white tower
But I guess hey, you're in florida. So yeah true the um seasons hit not so hard like a massachusetts lighthouse
Oh gosh, or like maine. Oh, it would be impossible
But this franell lens had a four second white flash every 56 seconds. So still a really long

(34:44):
Period between flashes and was built half a mile west of the original lighthouse
And I don't know what happened to the lighthouse after that. I think it was built half a mile west of the original lighthouse
And I don't know what happened to the lighthouse after that. I assume demoed but I don't have info. Who knows
pulled up a picture
Beautiful so pretty such an old photo

(35:07):
Almost looks like an art piece like a sketch or drawing it said I said online that this photo was actually taken the year that I was
Completed so
1850s this picture was taken is like that had to have been the second that cameras started becoming a thing, right?
Uh honestly, I don't know said this before I think early 1800s. We had some cameras going on. Okay

(35:27):
Um, I've seen some really cool antique photography lately. So is that an integral lighthouse? No, that's like um, if you think about
Uh, gosh, what is it like forced perspective? No, no, it's connected but it's just the little entrance
It's two stories tall what you're talking about. Oh, no, I think those are just like windows letting in

(35:48):
I mean you could be right but it's not the keeper's house. Okay. It's just like what is the lighthouse? I'm trying to think of man
There's a bunch of them. Tell me more about it
uh, i'm thinking of
Kuretake and
Your tuck is the big brick tower. Yeah on the outer banks and the other one we saw I keep thinking bald head
It's not it's um on the other body island. Yeah. Oh, yeah, there's an entrance and it's protruded

(36:12):
This one is appears to be two stories tall
Which I think is unique. Yeah, but in any case I was thinking that was the keeper's house and I was like wow, that's
that's
like
Integral
To the extreme you're on the real estate listing. It's like there's a lighthouse built into this. Oh, okay
It's 95 of the structure

(36:32):
151 feet tall bedroom has great views so crazy. Oh my gosh. I would love
To have a bedroom at the top of a lighthouse. I mean only if there's an elevator
Anyway
Sorry for the distractions there
so
After the civil war broke out the union gained control of the Pensacola lighthouse from the confederates in

(36:55):
1862 okay fitted it with a fourth order lens until the first order lens was rediscovered in 1869
And returned to the lantern room. So for a while there it officially had a fourth order lens
And then they found the first order and put it back in there wonder where it was. I feel like a lot of
Squirreling away happened. It's hard to hide a first order lens during wars anyway

(37:18):
Actually, I don't feel like it wouldn't because you can take it apart and it's just
I mean it's pretty snug and something like a crate
Following wars things take a long time to resurface. I don't know if it's like people are keeping
Crates of things in warehouses and they're like, oh we have to sort through all this. I'm telling you. I have a suspect
I suspect

(37:40):
That there are private collections out there a lot of them
Not a gotta be a lot of them of Fresnel lenses
And
I'm sorry for another sidetrack. It's fine. We talked about it
And uh, I was gonna say that wrong. Other memorabilia. I'm sorry for another sidetrack. It's fine

(38:01):
We talked just you and I talked recently about um
the lighthouse down um
Near Galveston Island
Bolivar? Bolivar point. Bolivar point? Yeah. Um, so I looked it up. They're doing a restoration right now
Oh excellent. That's the reason that the lantern room is entirely removed. However, they're not going to put the lantern room back on

(38:23):
They're having a new lantern room built. Okay. The existing is to be preserved and put indoors and be the
the main visitation focal point
So they're like five million dollars into this thing phase one. Oh my um into the restoration. Well
Spectacular, okay as long as they put a new one up top. No, I know
Yeah

(38:43):
as long as there's a new one that's going to function the same that's going to look the same and
Be really stable and we still get access to the original that we get to see
Open to everybody. I am so excited about that. But how the point is yes, sorry the point is
What if one of those lantern rooms just disappeared? They're like, oh, yeah, we put a new one that no one asked the question

(39:04):
What happened to the original one that was up there through all this history when it wasn't history?
It was just like oh modern day. It's in someone's living room somewhere like
Somebody bought it. It's their cool thing like this guy has a velociraptor skeleton. This guy has a lantern room
I'm sure they had like auctions with their like crates of miscellaneous things from

(39:25):
pre-world war stuff and you just they're like I'll pay you 10
You open it and you're like, what is this glass?
So prisons big side. I have no idea what you have in your hands
Yeah, I just I think they're I think they're the collectors out there just like there are private lighthouses
They're on private land and they're just people bought it because they wanted it like most of the or a lot of the um,

(39:49):
Light ships are just like private places crazy all through time
that same year 1869 a new symmetrical duplex dwelling was built and um
Because they added new assistant keepers, I believe
And so they needed a place for them and their families to live so they built a duplex
And the day mark was changed. So while the bottom third stayed white so that you could differentiate it from the trees

(40:15):
The top two thirds was black to differentiate it from the sky
Interesting and that's actually the day mark that we have today cool
It is that's pretty nice
You can see a nice picture of the duplex keeper's cottage right there
And that's in front of the tower. Yeah
Okay, i'm not connected my brain is like look at your eyeball. They're like, I want to see it that way really neat though

(40:40):
What a cool day mark in great shape too. Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's being very well taken care of
This is one of those places that has a website that you would be very happy about. Oh nice
St. Augustine level let's go. I won't click through it, but it'll be it's linked in our show notes
So if anyone wants to go check out their website, they have a really really good one between
1863 and 1886

(41:01):
There were 11 different keepers at the station nine of whom were fired for offenses ranging from neglect to intoxication
So just a bad run of keepers
People trying to escape life
After this george t. Clifford was hired and served for 31 years

(41:22):
he
Broke the the bad string of keepers 31 years is a long time
It's crazy and clifford's a cool name. It is cool. Good for him. You think it used to be more common
I feel like probably more common for the big red dog. I don't think I think it's awesome. They killed it. I don't I don't think it
people wanted to name

(41:42):
their children after the
dog the dog
I don't know. We learned that actually when I was at a lighthouse
um exhibit
What uh without me? No, you were there gay headlight. Uh, the lantern room. Yes was there
And there's an exhibit on clifford the big red dog. Oh, yeah
The person I can't name because I don't recall who was the author originator of clifford was from martha's vineyard

(42:08):
Oh, I didn't know that we were in the martha's vineyard, uh museum, which is really neat
You must have done a little reading while you were there. Yeah, they had a whole exhibit on clifford. I was like
Why what that's nothing to do with anything because he was from sure does martha's vineyard anyways, very cool
We're still in the 1800s. Which is wild 1874 in 1875. The lighthouse was hit by lightning

(42:30):
Melting metal apparatus inside of it. Yeah, which made it clear that the lightning rod which you've talked about in a past history buoy
That's right was faulty found to be defective and replaced
So we just had a couple instances
of this and after that the lighthouse was also hit by an earthquake 1886
Before which the light was found to have cracks in it

(42:52):
and they said this was likely from past hurricanes and damage it took during the silver war because it was
Across from a fort or there were two warring forts
Oh facing each other. I can't I didn't look all the bays down there. It's probably really important. Yeah
Um even to today. It's still right an important area strategic area

(43:14):
but uh
something else they mentioned on boliver boliver be oliver was uh
That it had survived multiple hurricanes as well at all
Earthquakes is what they they referenced but as part of the
reparate
reparations
repairs
Gosh, i'll shut up. No

(43:36):
You get it. There's been earthquakes
Yeah, the the I I they have some pictures. I didn't put it on our slides that this lighthouse was actually hit by
Like direct hits from artillery fire and left little craters in this outside of lighthouse
But it didn't penetrate to the inner layer. So it was just kind of like patched up. I think and so then that shooting at light houses

(43:57):
I know all rude. I know
Leave them alone
That might have been in florida, too
You got the kid with the rifle. I think that was st. Augustine might have been
Stinkers so at this point it was repointed which is a
Term I had never heard before which is fixing the mortar in between bricks
Repointed and repainted in 1913. We're jumping ahead the u.s. Navy established the u.s.

(44:22):
His first aeronautical station at the navy yard
Very cool in pensacola training over a thousand pilots for world war one and thousands more in world war two
This is where we have the super cool picture. I wonder if my grandpa went to pensacola
Ever that's really neat. There's a couple of other really cool ones, but this is where they practice

(44:42):
So actually now you can take tours
through the lighthouse
To watch them the blue angels are housed there. That's where their base is at
Yeah, it used to be somewhere else and then they moved here. I think I made a note
Uh, let's see
That's a cool photo
Uh, no, I guess I didn't make a note if any of you don't know my description of what the blue angels group is. It's uh

(45:08):
Navy there are specially selected pilots that train
very rigorously
to do precision arrow
space maneuvers
so they're they're in I think f-16 jets, but they're
very good they they do crazy formations and practices and they're kind of a
public outreach group

(45:29):
Uh representing the navy
It's not the air force the navy
Flying program. I don't feel like navy pilots are supposed to be very good. Yeah
like um air force also has a group like that called the
Thunderbirds, I believe cool. Yeah, it's kind of a rivalry thing. I think that oh, I like that
Get some uh fire it up went over a little bit. Yeah

(45:52):
Really like that. So yeah pretty neat you get to go and watch them. I would definitely pay to do that
Yeah
It'd be crazy get from the top of the lighthouse too if they're like flying around it. Oh my gosh, so cool
Really cool
1939 the coast guard takes over the lighthouse lens is electrified and the keeper's quarters gets indoor plumbing

(46:13):
Spectacular
The road to the lighthouse which was called shell road at the time now. It's something else lighthouse road probably probably
It was paved with brick and rubble from the recently demolished fort
Brankas barracks
Dang it. I didn't look up. That's crazy
Well, you guys know what I mean. I'm sorry if I pronounced it wrong barracks nearby that were demolished

(46:36):
but I want to say that that one was you a Union Fort and
Probably that late in the game. Yeah. Yeah, and so then the other one is the one that shot the lighthouse. I mean
Yeah, yeah
1965 the lighthouse was automated and the Navy rented out the keepers quarters until the building was condemned

(46:57):
So they rented it out and didn't do any renovations or like didn't keep up with it until it was so bad that it was condemned
Awful, they were accepting bids to demo the entire station
But instead the Gulf Islands national seashore was established in order to protect it
And so the lighthouse and the dwelling were renovated extensively back to livable conditions

(47:19):
1996 the Coast Guard auxiliary starts offering tours of the lighthouse taken over by the Pensacola
Lighthouse Association which was formed in 2006. I think okay great
So the east side is what they did was the east side of the duplex was renovated to display like an 1880s
version of what it what it used to look like so you could walk through and just see what

(47:42):
Half of the keepers cottage used to look like and then the west side has exhibits on the Civil War Navy Yard
And the lighthouse you could walk through and look at everything the 90s and 2000s is really a good time
Yeah, a lot of lighthouse. They're really restorations taking care of business
That's awesome. I assume it's similar today. Yes. It's exactly the same. So if you go

(48:04):
Yeah
2014 the original this is like this weird little side point
But 2014 the original lens pedestal of the lighthouse is discovered in the woods outside the gift shop what?
Some kids wandering around like what's this big piece of metal?
I wonder look what are you telling me it looks like it would hold a lantern the pedestal has been out there for it's got

(48:29):
To be decades is just sitting out there. Nobody noticed it in no idea blind just
You guys blind
It must just been covered by stuff, but I don't know. I just thought that was so funny
It's just it's in the time 2014. Mm-hmm. That's pretty crazy. It's in the timeline that
Pin of the Pensacola lighthouse on their website

(48:50):
Yes, like they discovered the pedestal and I don't know what was happened to it after that today
Yeah, they collect it. Did they go? Wow, that's cool. They preserved it or something
Four years later a two point five million dollar renovation was completed
Totally restoring the lighthouse and the first order lens
Let's go which by the way is still in use in the lantern room really active gate a guide to navigation

(49:16):
from
1850s
Wow, which then you know, they rediscovered it during the war and put it back up there but why there's not there's not many going
We talked about Hawaii has one. Mm-hmm
This is one they just put up Montauk point again, right?
But I don't know if that's the original or yeah, see it's very special, especially first order. Yeah

(49:41):
Special you climb you can go up there and just see it. You probably hear the motor
Yeah
Nosset lights was really loud. I enjoyed that powerful. Yeah, and that was I assume that's a
Lighter duty motor. Yeah, that's it light because that's not that wasn't a frenel and that's modern beacon relatively
So anyway, very cool. The lighthouse is located on the Naval Air Station Pensacola

(50:04):
So you can visit only while it's open from 9 a.m. To 3 p.m. It's nine dollars and fifty cents for tours and
The first order lens still up there you can see very quick flash every 20 seconds. So it's
gotten a little faster than in the past they have a really nice picture of
The inside of the lens and that's the symbol for the Pensacola house another very cool symbol

(50:29):
Yes, love it. So nautical it's on the property for the Air Force base. Yeah
Well, excuse me the Navy right I find that strange that they they keep holding on
They're like we can't allow civilians to like ruin this
thing so
So
I think it's good thing. Keep it protected. It's a crazy image the inside of the

(50:53):
For now lens this panel is pretty in the rainbows everywhere. Really gorgeous. Maybe someday we'll go and check it out
That logo is pretty cool. I know I knew you would like that. Mm-hmm
They have a couple different exhibits like I mentioned and you can book all kinds of different tours
like they have sunset climbs the Blue Angels practice viewing and

(51:16):
ghost tours
Talk about our
Several times it's been clicked today, but that's
It's a haunted episode. So I'm gonna go into some of the rumors swirling around this lighthouse to makes it haunted and spooky
Happy Halloween everybody
Pensacola house considered one of the most haunted places in the US by who I don't know

(51:44):
Everybody the first one I'm gonna the first story
I'm gonna say is the one that I'm most skeptical about because they give her full name and I can't find this person anywhere
I have no idea
so
They say there's a woman named Ellen Mueller who grew up in the lighthouse and got married there
Then gave birth in one of the rooms and passed away from complications in

(52:10):
1911 so died during childbirth
1911 in the room that she grew up in
in
1911 and
Before by like a decade there the only men working in the lighthouse were George T. Clifford
Adrian Whiting and Jefferson D Miller which is not Mueller and

(52:30):
Never was there anyone working there with the last name Mueller?
so
she couldn't have been a
child or
Like couldn't have been a child of one of the keepers growing up if she grew up in the lighthouse
Yeah, you have to be a child of one of the keepers
Unlikely that she has somebody else's last name at this time. Yeah, and then if she were to marry and that was her married name

(52:56):
Why was she in her child at home giving birth and not in her husband's home giving birth, you know, I
Just don't have all the details. Yeah, there's something missing. Yeah, like where did you get this name and
Where did you find that she grew up in the lighthouse?
Someone probably knows maybe her last name is actually Miller and it's just gotten

(53:17):
Messed up over time. Yeah, I don't know. I couldn't find Jefferson D Miller's like, yeah
You know normally on like ancestry you can find their children and stuff. I couldn't find anything. So
That's all of that. That's why I'm skeptical is cuz I'm like if you give her full name, it's got to be right
So there's no logical way that she grows up marries and gives birth in the lighthouse

(53:41):
Unless there was a guy there that the same last name
but anyway, they say her apparition is commonly seen in the bedroom where she grew up and
People were here breathy whispers feel cold spots and smell roses
So that's fun during these goose tour goose tour used

(54:02):
They also recognized two boys named Thomas and Raymond said to be runaway slaves that were hanged
in the basement and
buried on the property
Wildness okay hanged in the basement would be extra hard, right?
Yeah, those feelings low ceilings. I

(54:25):
Know like I should be casting doubt on all of this
But like just the way that it unfolds where there's no runaways if you're gonna give me names if you're gonna give me names
it's
It's just kind of diminishes the
Like spookiness of it. I'm like really Raymond. Am I scared of Raymond?

(54:46):
I don't think so. I don't know I
Mean any apparitions gonna make me scared breathy whispers. No, thank you
Two other children named Lizzie and Joey
I'm not gonna be scared of those either died from yellow fever in 1922 and guests sometimes feel the children
running through their bodies

(55:06):
And hear children's laughter when it's really quiet. That's not good. I'm like stop
Like like actual instances where people get like the heebie-jeebie heebie-jeebies and all like yeah
It's like somebody ran through their bodies. I don't want any spirit going through my body
Preferred not especially not children

(55:27):
Yeah, it's bothersome. I just don't know what else to say it's
It's bothersome. I can't really pin it
Okay, here's the one I was talking about
Samuel Lawrence was the headkeeper from 1877 to 1885. So a good chunk of time
He I don't think he passed away in the lighthouse
Because there was no reference to that but many say they see him keeping a constant vigil in the lantern room and in the stairwell

(55:53):
What is it about ghosts in the stairwell? I am uncomfortable
with that
Keep vigil in the lantern room. That's fine. Don't be going up and down the stairs
No, I don't know, you know, they don't have to they could probably just teleport
I don't know
There's also a rumor. This one is skeptical rumor swirling around

(56:20):
You know keepers
Jeremiah and Michaela Ingram
She they were the first he was the first keeper died and she took over 15 years
Before she passed away. They say that Michaela's love for the lighthouse surpassed the love for her husband
So they fought a lot because she had more duty for the lighthouse than to her husband

(56:40):
And it was his job. So he's probably like what the heck is this?
Yeah, and they say that his death in 1840 was under suspicious circumstances
And then she worked for another 15 years. Yeah for the lighthouse
I don't know
How did he die? I I couldn't see but they say

(57:01):
they say
You know in in these like oh spooky websites that he was stabbed with a kitchen knife and i'm like that would be murder
That would 100 be labeled as a murder very suspect situation
Suspicious circumstances knife knife

(57:21):
I'm like that there's no way that's true
No, but they say that you can hear their arguments around the lighthouse and there's no one in sight
So wouldn't you like that to be what you go down in history? No be arguing for all of time
Arguing for the rest of time. I had to work here in the 15 years 2009 ghost hunters did an episode

(57:43):
Inside the lighthouse
And revisited a year ago as well. Wow, so we have a recent episode and an old episode
They experienced in the first episode strange voices flickering lights one man had his shoulder gripped
By an invisible hand giving him a chill that didn't

(58:03):
Leave for long after he left the lighthouse
That is bothersome and then
in the most recent episode I watched like a
I watched a um
like a short clip of like some of
condensed episode basically
And they had sounds of doors closing crunching, which is not a sound that I ever wanted to hear

(58:26):
Steps voices and all kinds of spooky stuff always in the lighthouse. Yes inside the lighthouse
Which you can watch I think it's called discovery plus or something discovery plus. Yeah
Yeah, the first episode was season five episode 22 and this one's season 15 episode three
So if you guys are interested in going going and seeing maybe 15 seasons, sorry, I can go watch it. That would be fun

(58:51):
I think what happened is they stopped making episodes and then now they're like doing they're revisiting
Places they did in their original show. I was gonna say why did they go back?
You know like oh we got a new sensor
Well, yeah, they actually say that these new episodes they have like the updated like most
Up to date technology for ghost hunting. So it's like pretty exciting cool

(59:14):
Yep, so it's definitely haunted. I think the specifics are blurry and I would definitely still be spooked staying there
That's for certain
Any lighthouse painted black spooky
Yeah
Yeah, Bolivar is kind of it's all black
But that's because it's iron
That's right. You know what Jamie at work brought it up. I know it's a little weird

(59:38):
I brought it up and already said this on this episode, but she brought up Bolivar and I was like, yeah
it's made of all these steel sheets welded together and
Creepy and I was like, I think it's haunted
Oh, yeah a bunch of people died there all kinds and then yeah, looked it up. Oh, yeah reminded of
So many dead around the lighthouse, it's wild

(01:00:01):
naked bodies
drowned
perished
Anyone who's interested go to our episode three Bolivar episode three. Maybe we should relight that light
We should that would be interesting recover I have one more note to make and then i'm done
The research assistant at pensacola is on jeopardy october 25th. Let's go

(01:00:29):
I hope they win. I know i'm excited. I didn't know jeopardy was still on tv. They pushed it back
So now he's going to be airing at 2 a.m
On saturday, which by the time this comes out it'll be passed. So maybe you and I could just like watch it on
Online or something get the inside scoop, but we're totally rooting for olaf. Go olaf
Go olaf

(01:00:50):
And that is the pensacola lighthouse very
Very entertaining. Thank you very much. Great photos today, but not too many of them
Yeah, I wanted to keep it low on photos high content coffee was good in case anyone couldn't tell
You didn't actually go that crazy
You you input Thursday evening. Okay. Yeah, it's not friday. That's right

(01:01:12):
Sorry god, I wish was friday
Some people yeah, dang it anyways
But that's all so
Do you like I like okay very good episode. I don't know how i'm gonna follow this up
Uh, that's what I thought. I'm not even close to prepared. I got a big idea, but I don't think I can get there
Oh, I think I could go small. Yeah, you have like a week or so so

(01:01:33):
Yeah
Yeah, sorry to put the bar so high
Very good work everybody. We hope you enjoyed our episode keep the comments coming on youtube
Keep the voicemails coming keep the emails coming
We see them all even if you don't hear from us your lighthouses go into our list
And I will be covering them coming up. So if you've given me a lighthouse

(01:01:57):
I will be covering it's happening. It's on the list. We have a spreadsheet
and
Um, we really love hearing from everybody. So keep sending us stuff. We see it all and we love it
Um, check us out on instagram at the lighthouse lowdown
You can send us an email at the lighthouse lowdown at gmail.com check out our website the lighthouse lowdown.com where you can

(01:02:17):
Leave a review if you really like this episode
We don't get a lot of reviews, but we know that
It's that we're worth more than that
I don't even know what to say. We're just having fun. Appreciate everybody coming along. Thanks for everyone on our youtube youtube is growing
Boomin and we love to see it. So we hope you enjoyed this episode and we'll see you next time

(01:02:40):
next time on the lighthouse