Culebrita Lighthouse (
Spanish: ''Faro Culebrita'') is the only remaining Spanish-era structure in the Culebra archipelago. Construction of the lighthouse began on September 25, 1882, and was completed on February 25, 1886. The
Spanish Crown
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
built the lighthouse to help secure its claim over the main island of Culebra. It is the most eastern light outside mainland Puerto Rico. It guided navigation through the Virgin Passage and the Vieques Sound connecting in the Puerto Rico Light System with the
Cape San Juan Light
Cape San Juan Light (''Faro de Las Cabezas de San Juan'') is a historic lighthouse located on the northeastern part of the highest point of Cape San Juan in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. The lighthouse was constructed in 1880 and was officially lit on Ma ...
.
It is located on
Culebrita, a mile-long, half-a-mile-wide key off Culebra, an island-municipality of Puerto Rico.
It was one of the oldest operating lighthouses in the Caribbean until 1975 when the
U.S. Navy and
Coast Guard closed the facility. The
United States Coast Guard has replaced the lighthouse with a solar powered light beacon.
The Culebrita Lighthouse was registered on the
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on October 22, 1981; however, no work has been done to maintain the facility. In 1989,
Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo was a powerful Cape Verde tropical cyclone that inflicted widespread damage across the northeastern Caribbean and the Southeastern United States in September 1989. Across its track, Hugo affected approximately 2 million peop ...
caused extensive damage, and in 1995 the tower was destroyed by Hurricane Marilyn. The Culebra Foundation, starting in 1994, has tried to attract local and federal attention to save the lighthouse, but they have had little success. The lighthouse is in danger of collapsing.
Gallery
Faro-Culebritas.jpg, The lighthouse in 1913
Inside the Culebrita Lighthouse on Culebrita, Puerto Rico.jpg, Inside lighthouse
North Anchorage View From Faro Tower.JPG, North Anchorage View from Faro Tower
Inside Culebrita Lighthouse.jpg, Stairway inside, 2018
El Faro Culebrita in Culebrita, an island off Culebra, Puerto Rico.jpg, Facade of El Faro Culebrita, 2014
See also
* List of lighthouses in Puerto Rico
References
External links
*
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Historic American Engineering Record in Puerto Rico
Lighthouses completed in 1886
Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico
Spanish Colonial architecture in Puerto Rico
Culebra, Puerto Rico