A memorial to the Barefoot Mailman stands at the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Drive north to visit, climb the area’s other lighthouse
By Ron Hayes
One hour before sunset on March 7, 1907, a former captain in the Russian navy named Albert Alexander Berghell climbed the 175 steps of the newly constructed Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse and fired up its vaporized kerosene lantern for the first time.
And there was light.
Not much, but there was light.
For more than a century, that lighthouse has shone through 24 more keepers, surviving hurricanes, a government blackout during World War II and periodic repairs and improvements.
Today, its lantern room houses a 1,000-watt bulb with 5.5 million candlepower. Its keeper is a photocell that turns the bulb on and off at dusk and dawn. Flashing every 20 seconds, the light is visible from 28 nautical miles.
“It’s the brightest light in the world by default,” says Hib Casselberry. “There were two in France and one in Hawaii that were brighter, but those lenses were removed.”
A detail of the iron entry to the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse.
On March 9, when a boat from the Sands Harbor Resort in Pompano Beach began ferrying well-wishers to the lighthouse for a daylong celebration of the light’s 106th birthday, Casselberry was waiting on the dock to greet them. The president emeritus and historian of the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society, Casselberry embodies nearly as much history as the lighthouse itself.
“My computer is between my ears and it’s 90 years old,” he said. “It’s antique.” And then he led the visitors around the grassy lighthouse park and back in time.
Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse opened in 1907, and its light, reportedly the brightest in the world, can be seen from 28 miles. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Like so many Florida residents, the Hillsboro lighthouse is a northern transplant. Its 142-foot iron skeletal tower was constructed in Detroit, then shipped down the Mississippi River, around Key West and reassembled on the north side of the inlet.
The lens is the original, 9 feet in diameter, with 253 prisms.
“My first lighthouse was Mosquito Inlet, when I was 8 years old,” Casselberry recalled. “Now I’ve climbed all 30 in Florida, except for the two in the Keys.”
Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse rises 142 feet above the ground.
By noon, the park was filled with visitors. Some craned their necks and said, “No way.”
Some made it halfway up, looked out a window at the ground below and retreated. Some made it all the way to the top and out onto the gallery. And some, like 10-year-old Noah Vivenzio of Boynton Beach, scampered up and down four times.
“This is my second lighthouse,” he said, checking an iPhone video he’d made from the top. “But the other one wasn’t as tall. It’s definitely worth it.”
Boynton resident Kyle Chessher, 17, takes in the view from the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse. Kyle was visiting the attraction with his mother and his aunt.
Ann Kopish of Boca Raton has lived in Florida for seven years. “But I didn’t realize you could go up there,” she said. “It’s a lot of steps, but it’s wonderful. The view is amazing. I did get a little dizzy on the way down.”
“It’s important for people to take advantage of the historic sites that are here,” said Kyle Chessher, 17, of Boynton Beach, after climbing to the top. “It’s actually real life. I’m OK with heights, but it was kind of windy up there. I thought I was going to lose my snow cap.”
The day’s record, however, was no doubt held by young Noah, who finally surrendered to exhaustion and cut short his fifth visit to the top.
“I was getting seasick,” he explained.
Lighthouse tours
Next tour is Saturday, April 20.
Boats depart from the Sands Harbor Resort & Marina, 124 N. Riverside Drive, Pompano Beach.
Trips run hourly, beginning at 9 a.m., with a last boat at 3 p.m., and return every half-hour beginning at 9:30 a.m. with a last boat at 4 p.m. There is a $25 fee for the boat.
Anyone wishing to climb the lighthouse must wear flat shoes with rubber soles and closed toes. No sandals, flip flops or shoes with heels.
Children must be accompanied by an adult and there is a 48-inch minimum height to climb the tower.
For information, call 954-942-2102, or visit www.hillsborolighthouse.org.
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