1564 UNITED STATES (Florida) - Saint Augustine Lighthouse

Off the northeast Atlantic coast of Florida, East of Saint Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement in the continental United States, is located Anastasia Island, a barrier island long of 23km and wide of 1,6km. At the north end of the island is an active lighthouse, named as the city, the most recent of a number of towers built in the area. Saint Augustine was the site of the first lighthouse established in Florida by the new, territorial, American Government in 1824, on the site of an earlier watchtower built by the Spanish as early as the late 16th century. Because of the erosion and the changing coastline, the old tower crashed into the sea in 1880, but not before a new lighthouse was lit.

A new tower was built between 1871 and 1874, and put into service with a new first order Fresnel lens. In 1885, the lamp was converted from lard oil to kerosene. The light was electrified in 1936, and automated in 1955. By the 1960s the keepers' house was rented to local residents, then it was declared surplus, and St. Johns County bought it in 1970. In that year the house suffered a devastating fire at the hands of an unknown arsonist. In 1980, a small group of 15 women in the Junior Service League of St. Augustine signed a 99-year lease and began a massive restoration project. Today, the St. Augustine Light Station consists of the 150m 1874 tower, the 1876 Keepers' House, two summer kitchens added in 1886, a 1941 U.S. Coast Guard barracks and a 1936 garage.

About the stamps
About the first stamp, featuring a portrait of George Washington, I wrote here.

The following two stamps are part of the series Winter Flowers, issued on February 14, 2014. Each of these four stamps depicts a close-up view of one plant, with detailed and colorful renderings of its blossom and foliage. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps, which feature art by William Low.
• Amaryllis - It's on the postcard
• Cyclamen
• Christmas cactus - It's on the postcard
• Paperwhite

References
St. Augustine Light - Wikipedia

Sender: Denise 
Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 17.03.2014
Photo: Werner J. Bertsch