Punta Tuna Light is a historic lighthouse located in the southeast of the town of
Maunabo, Puerto Rico
Maunabo () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Maunabo Valley on the southeastern coast, northeast of Patillas and south of Yabucoa. Maunabo is spread over eight barrios and Maunabo Pueblo (the downtown area and the admini ...
on a narrow promontory at the southeasternmost point of the island. It was first lit in 1892 and automated in 1989. The light was a third-order lighthouse that served as the primary light connecting the island's southern and eastern lights system. The design was drawn and laid out by Joaquin Gisbert in 1890. The lighthouse construction was initially overseen by Adrian Duffaut. It was built from March 13, 1891, to September 29, 1893. Final construction was taken over by the Spanish Body of Engineers according to annotations of the historian Carlos Moral. It was originally named Faro de Mala Pascua after the cape to the west. Later, it was moved and renamed after the Point of the construction site so the light could perform a double duty warning ships off the Sargent reef. On August 8, 1899, the lighthouse suffered damage from Hurricane San Ciriaco; the town suffered heavy damage. On April 12, 1900, an act of Congress (31 Stat. L., 77, 80) extended the jurisdiction of the Lighthouse Service to the noncontiguous territory of Puerto Rico and adjacent American waters. 1900 (1 May) The Lighthouse Board took charge of the Puerto Rico lighthouses. September 13, 1928, Devastating Hurricane San Felipe II strikes, again the lighthouse stands firm, but the town housing is nearly totally destroyed. It was once again damaged by Hurricane Maria on Sept 20, 2017. The light's housing, the external facade, and the surrounding vegetation were all damaged, with some trees completely downed. It was listed in the
U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1981.
[ In 2007, the government of Puerto Rico bought an area near the ]lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
to create a conservation area. The structure is being restored by the town of Maunabo and is open to the public. The light is not working and the lens appears to be missing. The lighthouse in a state of disrepair and locked, but one may still view it from the surrounding property.
In June 2011, the General Services Administration
The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...
made the Punta Tuna Light (along with 11 others) available at no cost to public organizations willing to preserve them.
Gallery
File:PuntaTunaLighthouse.jpg, alt=Punta Tuna Lighthouse, Punta Tuna Lighthouse
File:Punta-Tuna-Lighthouse-Right.jpg, alt=Right side of Punta Tuna Lighthouse, Right side of Punta Tuna Lighthouse
File:Punta-Tuna-Lighthouse-Front.jpg, alt=Front of Punta Tuna Lighthouse, Front of Punta Tuna Lighthouse
File:Punta Tuna from the beach.JPG
File:Punta Tuna Light.jpg, Kite aerial photo of Punta Tuna Lighthouse
See also
* List of lighthouses in Puerto Rico
The lighthouses system of Puerto Rico consists of lighthouses that were built mostly during the last twenty years of the nineteenth century. These served as guides to important marine routes.
In 1869 the Spanish government approved the first pl ...
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Historic American Engineering Record in Puerto Rico
Lighthouses completed in 1892
Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico
Neoclassical architecture in Puerto Rico
Maunabo, Puerto Rico
Octagonal buildings in the United States