Mosquito Inlet, Lighthouse, and Giveaway!

I recently spent two weeks vacationing and visiting family in Daytona Beach Shores.  And although this post has nothing to do with the Regency time period I've written my last three novels in I find lighthouses and the sea  fascinating and wanted to be certain to visit this lighthouse while I was in the area. I am a native born Floridian. I came into the world in 1955 in Coral Gables, Florida. Although my family spent only a short time there it is my birthplace, so when I visit Florida I like to learn as much as I can first hand about this state. The lighthouse experience was one of my favorite aspects of this vacation.

The lighthouse is 175 feet high and it's Florida's tallest lighthouse. My family and I climbed every step of the steep spiral staircase. That's 203 steps! It was exhausting and exhilarating. I'm not one that enjoys heights but I have to admit that I loved the spectacular view at the top and the breeze. I think it hit 91 degrees that day.

Our two daughters made the climb first and when they came back down said we'd regret it forever if we didn't go up and so we did. Both my husband and I were grateful for the landings along the way where we could take a breather.. It's not possible to pass others on the staircase because it's so narrow. If someone is coming down you wait on the landing until they pass.

The lighthouse was erected in 1835 when the area was known as Mosquito Inlet. Don't you love it! I think I've got a novel brewing. :) Anyway, I digress. Although the lighthouse was built in 1835, storms and an Indian attack crumbled the building. It wasn't until 1887 that it became a functional lighthouse.

You'll be thrilled to know that even though you may be far from Florida at this moment you can take a virtual tour HERE! Enjoy!

There is a wonderful museum on the grounds that you'll see if you take the virtual tour. It was awesome! We bought our t-shirts and of course I had to pick up a book titled, Tales of Ponce Inlet by Ayres Davies.

"In 1897, author and journalist Stephen Crane was en route to cover a brewing revolt against Spanish rule in Cuba, when the ship he was on, the SS Commodore, sank off the coast of Florida. Crane escaped in a small dinghy with several crewmen, and they eventually sighted and steered for the Mosquito Inlet Light. Crane used this experience in his short story "The Open Boat"." You can read more HERE!

"Though accurate, the name Mosquito Inlet proved a deterrent to increased settlement in the area. To correct this problem, the name was officially changed to Ponce de Leon Inlet in honor of the famed explorer, and the lighthouse became the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse." More HERE!

If you'd like to win a copy of Mystery of the Heart (You can read the first chapter here.) Please leave a comment about the last light house you ever visited or one that you would like to visit. Don't forget your e-mail addy and I'll pick a winner after midnight, Pacific Time on Sunday, August 11th. I'll post the winner in the comment section of this post.

 
Jillian Kent explores the darker side of Regency England. Her latest novel, Mystery of the Heart, released in January 2013. Her first novel, Secrets of the Heart will introduce you to asylum life, and Chameleon will take you into historic Bedlam itself. But never fear, romance is alive and well in all of Jillian's novels.
Chameleon, recently finaled in the Selah Awards at Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and is now a finalist for the Daphne du Maurier Award through Romance Writers of Americas Mystery and Suspense Chapter.

www.jilliankent.com 

@JillKentAuthor on Twitter

Jillian also writes and coordinates, The Well Writer, for the Christian Fiction Online Magazine.