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 May 2, 1882. The original illuminating apparatus, not changed until after 1898, had an 18-mile (29 km) range and displayed a fixed white light which every three minutes flashed red.

Front of the lighthouse
Cape San Juan Light
View from the top of the lighthouse
Cape San Juan Light
Puerto Rico
LocationFajardo, Puerto Rico
Coordinates18°22′52.″N 65°37′5.7″W
Year first lit1882
Automated1975
Foundationstone base[1]
Constructionstone
Tower shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / patternwhite tower with black band at the base, black lantern
Tower height45 feet (14 m)[1]
Focal height79 metre 
Original lensThird order Fresnel[1]
Range26 nautical mile 
CharacteristicFl W 15s 
ARLHS numberPUR-021
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Faro de las Cabezas de San Juan
Architectural styleNeoclassic
MPSLighthouse System of Puerto Rico TR
NRHP reference No.81000692[2]
Added to NRHPOctober 22, 1981

The lighthouse owned by the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust is part of the Las Cabezas de San Juan natural reserve.[3] The 316-acre (128 ha) reserve includes a bioluminescence bay, rare flora and fauna, various trails and boardwalks, and scientific research center. Despite its small size, the reserve shelters seven different ecological systems, including beaches, lagoons, dry forest, coral reefs and mangroves.

In 1898, the lighthouse played a major role in the Battle of Fajardo during the Puerto Rican Campaign of the Spanish–American War. The lighthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States government on October 22, 1981.

In 2001, under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, it became the first lighthouse to be transferred to a non-governmental organization in Puerto Rico.[4]

  • Faro de Las Cabezas de San Juan, Fajardo

See also

References
  1. "Cape San Juan Light". Inventory of Historic Light Stations. National Park Service. September 18, 2006. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  3. "Las Cabezas de San Juan Lighthouse - Municipalities | EnciclopediaPR".
  4. "Deputy Secretary Scarlett Leads Ceremony Transferring Las Cabezas de San Juan Lighthouse to The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico". U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on May 7, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
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