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Crooked River Lighthouse First Constructed in 1893

Reprinted from The Coast Line

"The Crooked River Lighthouse's 103-foot tall tower was built in 1893 to replace a Dog Island Light that had been destroyed (along with the Cape San Blas Light and Cape St. George Light) by a hurricane in 1875.

Dog Island is a barrier island off the Franklin County (Carrabelle) coast that can only be reached by boat. The Crooked River Lighthouse is located just a couple miles west of the popular Carrabelle Beach wayside park between Eastpoint and Carrabelle. This new mainland site allowed the Crooked River Light to be used as a guidance system for the channel west of Dog Island.

The lighthouse was first lit in October 1895. The Crooked River Lighthouse was automated and in '52 became unmanned. Surrounding dwellings were soon removed from the site.

In the 1990's the City of Carrabelle inherited the lighthouse (from the Coast Guard) and it, in turn, leased it to the Carrabelle Lighthouse Association for $1 a year for the next 99 years. Membership in the Association continues to grow and members continue their preservation efforts. Eventually they would like to make the Crooked River Lighthouse a museum and ultimate tourist attraction. For additional information contact the Carrabelle Lighthouse Association, P.O. Box 373, Carrabelle, FL 32322

(Considerable foundation information for this article was gathered from the "Lighthouse Getaway" website by William A. Britten.)