Nestled along the St. Johns River at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean stands one of Jacksonville’s oldest surviving landmarks. The St. Johns River Light, first illuminated on Aug. 1, 1859, is the second-oldest building in the Jacksonville area. For more than 165 years, it has withstood powerful hurricanes, witnessed the region’s remarkable growth, and seen the establishment and expansion of Naval Station Mayport. Today, however, the historic lighthouse faces one of its greatest challenges yet.
The River Light currently stands approximately 800 feet from an active military runway and adjacent to the commercial inspection gate at Naval Station Mayport. Although the structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, it is also included on the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation’s “11 to Save” list of endangered historic places.
Leading the effort to preserve the landmark is the Mayport Lighthouse Association (MLA), a nonprofit organization. Their mission is to relocate, restore, and reopen the River Light to the public while preserving Mayport’s rich maritime history for future generations.
Originally formed in 1997, the organization became inactive for several years before being reincorporated in 2021. Since then, its members have launched a renewed campaign to raise public awareness, build community support, and secure the funding needed to save the historic structure.
In late June, the MLA hosted a public presentation attended by approximately 60 people, including local residents, representatives from the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, and members of the Florida Lighthouse Association.
Association Vice President Elizabeth Boggs presented a brief history of the River Light, explaining that it was replaced in 1929 by the St. Johns Lightship, which remained in service until 1954. After its retirement, the lightship passed through several private owners before it was abandoned in 1990’s up in Brooklyn, New York. It was removed from its pier and presumed to be scrapped in January 2007. The navigation at the entrance to the St. Johns River has been guided by the current St. Johns Light since 1954, which is located on the grounds of Naval Station Mayport and operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Boggs also shared the findings of a six-month feasibility study released in February 2026. The report concluded that relocating the River Light is both technically feasible and practical. The proposed relocation site is west of the St. Johns River Ferry terminal and east of Safe Harbor Seafood Restaurant, where the lighthouse could once again become an accessible public landmark and centerpiece of Mayport’s waterfront.
As part of the study, engineers and preservation specialists were able to enter the River Light for a detailed inspection. They found the interior spiral staircase to be in surprisingly good condition. However, the original entrance has been buried and rendered inaccessible since the Navy expanded the adjacent airfield. Inspectors also found approximately one foot of standing water at the base of the tower, while thick vegetation has overtaken portions of the upper structure.
MLA will work with the US Navy and the City of Jacksonville as partners to finalize the plans once funding is secured. After all parties give the go-ahead, the structural relocation team will need at least a month to prepare the Light for relocation. Once the Light is stabilized and ready to be moved, the actual move will take about one week. The lantern room would first be removed and transported separately. The masonry tower would then be reinforced with structural steel beams before being lifted and moved using self-propelled modular transporters. While the original foundation would remain in place on Naval Station Mayport, a new foundation would be constructed at the relocation site before the lighthouse is reassembled.
The estimated cost of the project ranges from $4.6 million to $6 million. The Mayport Lighthouse Association is pursuing both state and federal appropriations while continuing to seek private donations and community support to help make the relocation a reality. Association leaders hope the recent public presentation will spread awareness throughout the First Coast and encourage additional support for the preservation effort.
For the association, preserving the River Light is about more than saving a historic building. It is about protecting an important symbol of Jacksonville’s maritime heritage and ensuring that one of Florida’s oldest navigational landmarks can continue telling its story for generations to come.
If you would like to learn about the Mayport Lighthouse Association and its mission, their website is https://www.mayportlighthouseassociation.org/. They can also be found on Facebook under Mayport Lighthouse Association.
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Tobias D. Wilson, with the artist’s name of Endofthehwy media, was inspired by the literally the end of the Maine state highway 24. This was one of my favorite spots to visit while stationed at now now-closed Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine, between 2004 to 2007.
I have been married now to a wonderful lady for 18 years and together we have one child, a nine-year-old daughter. We settled in St. Johns County after I retired from the US Navy after 20 years. My specialty in the military was administration and logistics. I am currently a stay-at-home dad and a volunteer at my local church.
In 2013, during outpatient treatment at Walter Reed Medical Center for deployment-related health issues, I was encouraged to find a hobby that I loved. I choose photography to see life through the lens.
I had the great opportunity to volunteer for two years as a still photographer for Honor Flights of Columbus, an organization dedicated to getting veterans to the memorials in Washington DC. My photos contributed to the flight mission video published on the organization’s website and YouTube channel. As a photographer, there was such joy to see the veterans return home to a hero’s welcome and be able to capture it.
