Bonnie and I visited her brother in Daytona Beach, Florida.  Scott scouted potential locations for photography and when we arrived drove us to them.  He was even willing to get up at 5am so we could be on the beach before sunrise.  I believe one could get spoiled being escorted to photo shoots!  He did such a good job spotting locations we nicknamed him "Spotty Michael".  

 

One of my favorite locations was the jetty and lighthouse at the Ponce de Leon inlet.  The inlet was initially called Mosquito Inlet and the first lighthouse was built in 1834.  In October 1835 a severe storm struck the area, washed away the keeper's home and undercut the tower's foundation.  Two months later, during the Second Seminole War, the Indians attacked the lighthouse, smashed the glass in the lantern room and set fire to its wooden stairs. The war prevented repairs from being made to the tower and it collapsed the next year.  

 

It wasn't until 1887 that the current lighthouse was built.  One million bricks were used to construct the 175' tower - only North Carolina's Cape Hatteras lighthouse is taller.

 

In 1896 the lighthouse played a part in saving one of America's foremost writers.  Stephen Crane (The Red Badge of Courage) was traveling to Cuba aboard the S. S. Commodore when a gale struck and the ship sunk 16 miles off Daytona Beach.  Crane, the captain and two crewmembers made it onto a lifeboat.  They spotted the lighthouse in the distance but it took them twenty-seven hours of rowing and bailing to make it through the stormy seas only to have their boat capsize and have to swim to shore.   

 

This ordeal was the basis for his short story - "The Open Boat". 

 

It's great when my love of history and photography can be found in one location.  I hope you enjoy the images.  

Take care,

Jeffrey