Molasses Reef Light, Molasses Reef, Key Largo, Florida
MOLASSES REEF LIGHT
Location: APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF KEY LARGO, IN 9 FEET OF WATER OFF MOLASSES REEF
Station Established: 1921
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1921
Operational? NO
Automated? 1921
Deactivated:
Foundation Materials: SCREWPILE
Construction Materials:
Tower Shape: SQUARE, PYRAMIDAL SKELETAL TOWER
Markings/Pattern:
Relationship to Other Structure:
Original Lens:
Historical Information:
- A series of unmanned reef lights were built and lit along the Florida Keys between 1921 and 1935.
- These lights were marking local hazards and therefore did not need powerful lens.
- The lights were automated from the start and did not need keepers. Keeper’s quarters were not built for these lights.
- Molasses Reef and Pacific Reef lights were built with the same plans.
- Thought the lantern has been removed, the light remains an active aid to navigation. The tower holds a NOAA Weather Station as well as a Coast Guard daymarker.
Researched and written by Melissa Buckler, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.