Port St. Joe, Florida

Located along the Gulf, Port St. Joe is such a wonderful area! It is filled with fascinating history, beautiful beaches, and a lighthouse! 💞

Along Florida’s Forgotten Coast, is the small fishing village of Port St. Joe. Why is it called the forgotten coast? According to panhandlegetaways.com, “In the 1990s, the Forgotten Coast was largely ignored by tourism promoters, who focused instead on the booming coastlines on Florida’s southern tip. And so, when a map of the state was produced, oops, this section of the eastern Panhandle was left off.” It is also called that because of the miles and miles of pristine beaches that have been largely undeveloped. 🏖️

Port St. Joe has seen it’s share of difficulties. Established in 1835, this new town was growing strong and became the largest city in Florida. In 1838, Florida’s first constitution was drafted there and it became known as “The Constitution City.” However, it was hit with a Yellow Fever outbreak in 1841 which decimated the population. Not long after, in 1844 a hurricane hit and washed out what remained of the town. It then became known as “The Lost City.” 😔

With a population of only 3,375 people, there are several mom and pop businesses. We were so busy enjoying them that we forgot to take pictures! 🤦‍♀️The people we met were kind and welcoming! They shared their knowledge of this amazing place and told us about the storms & hurricanes they’ve seen. Since Port St. Joe is only about 3 ft. above sea level, hurricanes can have a huge impact on this coastal town. 🌀

We also had a lovely time visiting the Cape San Blas Lighthouse! However, this is not the location of the original Cape San Blas lighthouse and it has some very interesting history behind it. In 1849, the conical brick tower was built on Cape San Blas. In the late summer of 1851, a storm destroyed this first tower even though the land was “deemed to be entirely secure from overflow or inundation.” The second tower construction was delayed due to yellow fever and problems with receiving the Fresnel lens. Only 10 months later a hurricane destroyed this tower and the keeper’s dwelling in 1856. 🤯

The third time’s the charm, right? Not for this unfortunate lighthouse. The third brick lighthouse was built in 1857 and did not fare much better than the previous two, but it did last longer. During the Civil War, the Confederates burned the keeper’s dwelling to the ground and damaged the wood portions of the tower. Thankfully the lens was hidden in Apalachicola, so that was not stolen or destroyed. The third tower was repaired and re-lit in 1865. Then erosion started taking its toll on the land around the lighthouse and it soon stood in 8 ft. of water. The lighthouse was destroyed in 1882. 🌊

The current 98 ft. tall skeletal tower was finished in 1885. They had built this one 1500 feet from the shore, but erosion claimed much of the land and a storm in 1894 damaged the tower. Multiple plans were discussed, but the lighthouse was not relocated further inland until 1918. In 1999, the keeper’s dwellings were moved near the tower. In July, 2014 the tower and both keeper’s quarters were moved once again and they are currently at Core Park in Port St. Joe where you can climb the 131 steps to the top of the lighthouse. Fair warning–the steps are a bit narrow, but it was definitely worth it to see the view from the top! 🪜

Did you know there was also a murder at the Cape San Blas Lighthouse? On March 16, 1938, Ernest W. Marler, an assistant keeper was found stabbed to death in the workshop. When he was late for lunch, his 13 year old daughter, Ernestine, went to find him. The poor child discovered him with multiple stab wounds and a bloody knife and hatchet were nearby. Although there were various speculations, the case was never solved. The head keeper, Sullivan R. White, left shortly after saying that there had been threats against the keepers and he was afraid to stay there any longer. Did the threats continue after he left? Did the assistant keeper who replaced Mr. Marler take it upon himself to creat a job opening? Was it moonshiners? Who knows? After all these years, it most likely will remain a cold-case. 🤔

One thing we do know is that Port St. Joe is a wonderful place to visit! The fascinating history and sandy shoreline were enough for us to want to take a trip there. The wonderful and welcoming people made us want to stay far longer than we anticipated! 🥰

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