“I’ve always wanted to be a lighthouse keeper,” said the vibrant volunteer tour guide, “It’s not quite the same, but this job has perks. I have keys to the lighthouse.”
This past weekend, I visited Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, Florida. They have daily tours of the lighthouse at 10am and 1pm. After a brief history of the park, we climbed the top and surveyed the beautiful beaches inside the park, the nature trails, and the Miami skyline.
Bill Baggs was a veteran of WWII and later the editor of the Miami News in the 1960’s. Originally from Georgia, he fell in love with the landscape of South Florida. When the land that is now the state park was slated for high-rise condos in the 1960’s, he convinced the owner of the land to sell to the state of Florida for use as a public park for half the assessed value (which was still a large sum at just over 8 million dollars).
Now all he had to do was convince the state government and the citizens to buy the land. Using the front page of the newspaper, he started an environmental campaign to preserve the natural beauty of the area. The park is now named in his honor.
As one of the main feature of the park, the Cape Florida Lighthouse has a riveting history starting in the 1800’s. Attend one of the tours to learn about shipwrecks, pirates, treasure, the nearby Underground Railroad stop, the attack by the Seminoles, and much more. Then, climb to the top and see the scenic view. Finally, soak in the ocean on one of the pristine beaches before a picnic in the park.
Perhaps our tour guide is not the keeper of the oil flame that was needed when the lighthouse was first built or the keeper of the current electric beacon, but she is the keeper of the stories. She is the “Lighthouse Keeper” that keeps the history and stories alive.
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