The Jupiter Lighthouse, our proud lady of the Inlet with her sweeping tower of red brick, visitors can take the Tower Trip climbing the winding 105 steps in the oldest structure in Palm Beach County. Although it doesn't stand on a rocky cliff by the edge of the sea, as the northern ladies of the coast, our Lighthouse does stand on a natural hill of shell and marine sand about 41k feet With submerged reefs and sandbars causing innumerable ship-wrecks over the years, Congress in 1853 finally appropriated approximately $35,000 to erect "a first-order lighthouse," to mark the reef lying off the Jupiter Inlet and act as an aide to navigation. The Indian war raging across Florida contributed to cost overruns as the final expenditure ran over $ 60,000 at the time of completion in 1859. Although construction began in 1855 a series of delays --Indian attacks and "Jupiter 'Fever" ran up the cost during the Third Seminole War.