Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse: A Red Brick Beacon Over the Loxahatchee

Rising bright red above the blue water where the Loxahatchee River meets the sea, the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse is one of the most photographed landmarks on Florida’s southeast coast, and one of the oldest structures in Palm Beach County.

First lit in 1860, the tower was designed by a young Army engineer named George Meade, who would later win fame as a Union general at Gettysburg. Building it was a struggle against heat, mosquitoes, and the remoteness of the frontier, but the light has guided mariners ever since.

The lighthouse still works today, its beam sweeping out over the inlet every night. Visitors can climb the 105 steps to the top, where the reward is a sweeping view of the river, the inlet, and the Atlantic stretching to the horizon.

At the base, a small museum tells the story of the area, from the Seminole and earlier peoples to the keepers who once tended the flame by hand. The surrounding grounds, shaded by sea grapes and gumbo limbo trees, make for a pleasant wander.

Brick by brick, the Jupiter light has stood for more than a century and a half. It is both a working aid to navigation and a beloved symbol of the community that grew up around it.