Key West Area Lighthouses Lighthouse

Built in 1880, the American Shoal Lighthouse is an octagonal pyramidal tower constructed from wrought iron. Standing 33.5 meters tall and painted red, it features a two-story keeper's house on its central platform. This structure was erected to guide vessels safely past the hazardous American Shoal, southeast of Key West, Florida. The lighthouse underwent repainting and repairs in 2003. It was deactivated in 2015 and subsequently added to the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. In 2019, it became available for transfer under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act and was sold at auction in May 2022.

Why it matters: The American Shoal Lighthouse served to warn ships away from the dangerous American Shoal in busy shipping lanes southeast of Key West. Its distinctive octagonal pyramidal wrought iron design is notable among straightpile towers.