November 8, 2010: The Key West Lighthouse was built in 1847 to replace the original wooden tower on Whitehead Point destroyed the previous year by a hurricane. The present location, 14 feet above sea level, was chosen to protect the new tower from a similar fate. The tower was originally 46 feet high and powered by 15 oil lamps with 15-inch reflectors but was extended to 86 feet in 1894 making it visible to sailors for fifteen miles. It is the 15th oldest surviving lighthouse in the country. Interesting tidbit: Barbara Mabrity took over the task of the "keeper" after her husband died in 1832. She tended the lamps for 32 years until, at age 82, she was fired for making statements against the Union, which controlled Key West and the lighthouse during the Civil War. When a hurricane destroyed the light station in 1846, Barbara Mabrity survived but six of her children were killed after the family sought shelter in the tower. In 1886, the original keeper's quarters was torn down and replaced with the present building. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1969.