Map Search    Florida Department of State « Previous    Visit a Lighthouse Alligator Reef Amelia Island American Shoal Anclote Key Boca Grande Cape Canaveral Cape Florida Cape San Blas Cape St. George Carysfort Reef Cedar Keys Crooked River Egmont Key Fowey Rocks Garden Key Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge Museum Hillsboro Inlet Jupiter Inlet Key West Loggerhead Key Pensacola Ponce de Leon Inlet Port Boca Grande Sand Key Sanibel Island Sombrero Key St. Augustine St. Johns Light Ship St. Johns Light Station St. Johns River St. Joseph Bay St. Marks ->Maritime Trail Home ->Lighthouses Home    Next » Carysfort Reef Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.     Named for the grounding of HMS Carysfort in 1770, Carysfort Reef is one of Florida’s most dangerous hazards to navigators since it lies nearest to the Gulf Stream. Beginning in 1825, lightships marked the reef but never were effective; the first lightship ran aground on its maiden voyage. In 1837, the lightship's captain and a crew member were ambushed and killed by Seminole Indians on Key Largo when they landed to tend a vegetable garden. George Meade, later a Union General, designed Carysfort Reef Lighthouse, the first of the giant screwpile lighthouses to mark Florida's reefs. Activated in 1852, it stands 120 feet above the water and has effectively warned thousands of mariners away from treacherous shoal waters over the years. This active navigational aid is not open to the public. Find out more: Additional Links: View a map of the Carysfort Reef Lighthouse Communities | Environments | Forts | Lighthouses | Ports | Shipwrecks | Home The Florida Maritime Heritage Trail was created and is maintained by the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, with initial funding by Florida Coastal Management Program. Send comments to: [email protected]