The first reef light built in the Keys was Carysfort Reef Light in 1852. It was constructed under the direction of George Meade, who would later leave this position to lead Union troops to victory at the battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. The reef and its light were named after the HMS Carysford (the name was later altered to Carysfort) that grounded on the reef in 1770. Carysfort Reef was one of the most dangerous locations in the state for passing ships, as it is the closest part of Florida to the Gulf Stream, and so the light was erected as a warning.

The next light constructed off the coast of the Keys was Sand Key Reef Light, also under the supervision of George Meade. It was a year after Carysfort, and was built to replace an 1827 tower that was demolished in a hurricane during the late 1840s. The light was again damaged in a 1989 fire. Today the light stands in five feet of water.

Sombrero Key Reef Light was the third beacon to spring up (1858), and is located near Marathon. It stands as the tallest reef light, towering 142 feet high in 160 feet of water and was also designed by George Meade. Sombrero Key itself eroded over time and no longer exists.

Nearly twenty years later another light, Alligator Reef Light, was erected four miles east of Indian Key. It, too, was named for a ship that ran aground on the reef, the USS Alligator. The crew, rather then watch their ship be plunged by pirates, set fire to the vessel themselves.

The last of the Keys' reef lights was built in 1880. The American Shoal Lighthouse, near Summerland Key, stands in four feet of water and was manned in the early 1980s to monitor Cuban refugees fleeing Cuba for the U.S.

Fun Facts:

Carysfort Reef Light is said to house the ghost of a former keeper, Captain Johnson. Present-day keepers complain of eerie noises in the night, and often hear his bloodcurdling screams. Rumor has it that keepers now keep a bible in the kitchen to ward off evil spirits.

The keepers of Sombrero Key Reef Light have had more accidents than any other lighthouse in Florida. At least four former keepers even met their demise at the reef.

The U.S. Postal Service commemorated the American Shoal Lighthouse with its own 25¢ stamp - except that they misnamed it American Shoals and showed a Coast Guard cutter in the waters around it (quite a feat, since the boat draws two feet more water than could possibly be around the reef light, which stands in only four feet of water).