The Beacon Of Saint Marks

by DB Hayes

Title

The Beacon Of Saint Marks

Artist

DB Hayes

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Fine Art Americas (FAA) watermark does NOT appear on sold art as FAA removes the watermark before each sold copy is museum quality printed onto canvas, photo-paper, metal, acrylic or any of FAA's many other available medias regardless of which one is chosen by the buyer.

COPYRIGHT DISCLOSURE NOTICE: THIS IS A COPYRIGHTED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PROTECTED IMAGE.

WE are honored the following art groups have featured our "The Beacon Of Saint Marks" image:

1 = Water Forms: 5/14/2018
2 = Nikon Full Frame Camera: 5/14/2018
3 = Created by Southern Artists: 5/14/2018
4 = USA Photographers ONLY: 5/15/2018
5 = Images That Excite You: 5/15/2018

On May 12, 2018 Deb & I returned to the Saint Marks National Wildlife Refuge to photograph all things of interest and, of course, as one can see in this image one of those was the lighthouse (more on this iconic landmark later). I, Bill, captured this image using my Nikon camera along with a wide angle lens.

The sky in the original image was fairly dull so I artistically helped it along hoping to improve the overall look of the images. At least Deb & I both agree the end result is far more pleasing to the eye as the saying goes than the original. Now for a few facts about this lighthouse thanks to Wikipedia.

The St. Marks Light is the second-oldest light station in Florida. It is located on the east side of the mouth of the St. Marks River, on Apalachee Bay.

In the 1820s, the town of St. Marks, Florida was considered an important port of entry. The town served as a port for the prosperous planting region of Middle Florida and some counties of South Georgia. Growers hauled their agricultural products down to the port town in wagons by way of an early road which connected the then territorial capital of Tallahassee to the town of St. Marks. Later, this road would be widened and improved upon by the Tallahassee Railroad Company and would become the state's first railroad.

Once the agricultural products reached the new port town, they were loaded aboard boats for shipment to New Orleans and/or St. Augustine. There were, however, problems in navigating both the Apalachee Bay and the St. Marks River. In many places both bay and river were shallow, and it was not too uncommon for boats to run aground and/or get mired in the muddy shallows.

In 1828, Florida's territorial Governor William Pope Duval wrote a letter to Joseph M. White, a territorial delegate in which he stressed a great need for a lighthouse at the St. Marks location. White, in turn, wrote a letter to New Hampshire Senator Levi Woodbury, who chaired the Senate Committee on Commerce, reiterating the importance of establishing a light at St. Marks. Eleven days later, the committee issued a report which recognized the town of St. Marks as an official port of entry and recommended the building of a lighthouse in the area. On May 23, 1828, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an act which authorized the construction of a lighthouse at St. Marks and appropriated $6,000 for its construction.

After a survey was completed of the St. Marks area by Robert Mitchell, the Collector of Customs at Pensacola, and a site chosen for the lighthouse, it was discovered that the initial construction sum of $6,000 would be insufficient. The appropriation was increased to $14,000, and by mid-1829 a contract was signed with Winslow Lewis of Boston for the construction of a tower in the St. Marks area for $11,765. The finished product was not accepted by the Collector of Customs for St. Marks, Mr. Jesse H. Williams, because it had been constructed with hollow walls. Williams felt that the tower should be constructed with solid walls and, therefore, refused to accept the work.

Calvin Knowlton was brought in to rebuild the tower. He oversaw its completion, and in 1831, Williams, satisfied that the light was built according to the contract, accepted the work. That same year saw the tower's whale-oil lamps lit for the first time by Samuel Crosby, who had been appointed the first Keeper of the St. Marks Lighthouse the previous year.

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"Art Enhances Life"

Bill and Deb Hayes

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May 13th, 2018

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