Pensacola Lighthouse and Maritime Museum

🌊 Lighthouse enthusiasts, this is for you! 🌊

Florida Lighthouse Association is hosting their Winter Membership Meeting at Ponce Inlet Lighthouse on March 28-29, and it’s shaping up to be an incredible weekend of history, preservation, and camaraderie.

And on March 30, we're setting sail for a scenic boat cruise to soak in Ponce Inlet from the water! 🚤🌅

Visit FLA's website to sign up by TODAY, March 21.

In 1945, Olivia Ho**er became the first Black woman to join the U.S. Coast Guard when she enlisted in the Women's Reserve, also known as the SPARs. She would be one of only five Black SPARs who served during its existence, alongside D. Winifred Byrd, Julia Mosley, Yvonne Cumberbatch, and Aileen Cooke.

As a SPAR, Olivia was stationed in the separation center in Boston where she handled the paperwork for Coast Guard discharges. By the time the SPARs were disbanded, Olivia was a yeoman 2nd class and a Good Conduct Medal recipient. By her own account, she was one of the last SPARs to be discharged, and had to process her discharge papers herself.

After her military service, Olivia pursued higher education and earned her MA and PhD in psychology. She worked for a short time at a women’s correctional facility in New York, where she helped inmates with their mental health and aided them in their pursuits after release. She then worked as a professor at Fordham University until 1985, and in 1992, at the Fred S. Keller School of Behavioral Analysis, where she worked until her retirement in 2002.

After retirement, Dr. Ho**er continued to work as an activist. She was passionate about promoting awareness of psychological issues and was also a prominent advocate for victims of the Tulsa race massacre - of which she was a survivor. She was a co-founder of the Tulsa Race Riot Commission, which worked to investigate and report on the events of the massacre, and to seek restitutions for the survivors.

In 2011, Dr. Ho**er received an American Psychological Association Presidential Citation for her incredible contributions to the field, and for her tireless advocacy for others.

United States Commission on Civil Rights

Some Pensacola Lighthouse fun on and off our grounds!

We were honored to give the Sailor of the Year tour and enjoyed meeting with everyone at Fleet & Family Career Expo. 🩵

🌊💡 Lighthouses have always been a point of tourism! Here's an excerpt from the 1881 "Instructions to Light-Keepers" handbook:

"Keepers must be courteous and polite to all visitors who conform to the regulations, and show them everything of interest about the station at such times as it will not interfere with their light-house duties. Keepers must not allow visitors to handle the apparatus or deface light-house property. Special care must be taken to prevent the scratching of names or initials on the glass of the lanterns or on the windows of the towers. No visitor should be admitted to the tower unless attended by a keeper."

Can you imagine touring a lighthouse in 1881?

📸 Current Pensacola Lighthouse before black daymark added. Courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard

Ready to bust a move? 🕺 'Dancin in the Streets' is the theme for Gallery Night Pensacola on March 21!

Get ready for the dance-off, food trucks, art vendors, and local merchants from 5-9 PM. Be sure to stop by our booth too! 👋

🍀 "May the blessed sunlight shine upon you and warm your heart till it glows."

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 🇮🇪

Did you know that one of the most game-changing inventions in maritime history came from a woman who refused to let obstacles dim her light? Let’s shine a beam on Martha Coston, the brilliant mind behind the Coston Signal Flare!

After her husband, a naval scientist, passed away, Martha found his rough sketches for a night-signaling system. She spent ten years testing, refining, and perfecting the idea before patenting it in 1859. Her system of red, white, and green pyrotechnic flares allows ships to communicate over vast distances, even in the dead of night.

During the Civil War, these flares gave the Union Navy a huge advantage, and Martha’s company, Coston Manufacturing, became the go-to supplier. Despite selling her lifesaving signals at cost to the Navy, she had to fight for years to get the compensation she deserved.

Her brilliance didn’t stop at wartime. The U.S. Life-Saving Service (which later became the Coast Guard), the U.S. Weather Service, and navies across Europe and South America all adopted her flares. Even private yachts and merchant ships used them!

Martha had no formal education, but through sheer determination and ingenuity, she became a trailblazing inventor and successful entrepreneur. So, next time you see a flare lighting up the night sky, think of Martha Coston, the woman who turned darkness into a message of hope and safety. 💥🌊

This Saturday, March 15, 2025, the Pensacola Lighthouse will open late at 9:30 AM due to a staff meeting.

We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for understanding. We hope to see you soon!

📸 Florida Humanities

Planning a summer trip to Pensacola? Book our Sunset/Full Moon climb! 🌅🌕

Enjoy the sunset and bask in the glow of the full moon, all from the top of the Pensacola Lighthouse!

🌕 Book at the link in our comments!

In honor of National Proposal Day, here's the Casey's love story! 🩵

Jason Casey proposed to his wife at the top of our light! They returned two more times- once to finish the tour and another time to place their names on Stair 121. 💍🥰

Do YOU have a romantic memory at Pensacola Lighthouse?

Climb 159 feet of fun in the Florida sun this weekend! ⛅️

Did you know that six women served as Head or Assistant Keepers at the Pensacola Lighthouse?

The first was Michaela Ingraham, who took charge from 1840 to 1855. Her husband, Jeremiah, was the first keeper of the Pensacola Lighthouse in 1824, but when he fell ill, Michaela stepped in to manage its daily operations.

After his passing in 1840, she officially took over, though not without resistance. Despite facing opposition, her skill and dedication earned the support of both locals and Navy personnel, who petitioned for her appointment. Their voices were heard, and Michaela served faithfully until her passing in 1855.💡📜

📸 A recommendation letter for Ingraham

Although Pensacola Lighthouse Blue Angels Practice Tour tickets are sold out, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy the Blues!

You can watch them soar over NAS Pensacola! Allow extra time for traffic and security at the NAS Pensacola entrance. Once on base, head to the National Naval Aviation Museum, where you can watch from the flight line behind the museum.

Practices are usually at 10:30 AM on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with gates opening at 9:30 AM. Bonus: Retired military volunteers often narrate the show, and after Wednesday practices, the pilots often stop by to meet fans and sign autographs!

📸 Katie Bodden Photography of U.S. Navy Blue Angels

Pensacola Lighthouse will be closed for the remainder of today, March 6, 2025.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. NAS Pensacola

Why was the current Pensacola Lighthouse built?
1. A hurricane destroyed the first light.
2. Trees partially obstructed the first light.
3. The first light was not well maintained.

📸 Grace DeBarmore Photography

Have you heard the story of how a little white porcelain doll came to be called the “Frozen Charlotte Doll,” and how those dolls became plastic babies that ended up in your Mardi Gras King Cake? Many "Frozen Charlotte" dolls have been found around the Lighthouse and most recently at Hart’s Hammock and Archaeological Park. Laissez les bons temps rouler! See the link in the comments for the full story!

Happy Mardi Gras from Pensacola Lighthouse! 💜💚💛

Visit Pensacola

👟 177 steps
⬆️ 159 feet tall
📜 166 years old
📍Pensacola Lighthouse

📸 Jason T Hallford Photography