Cape San Juan Light

Cape San Juan Light (Faro de Las Cabezas de San Juan) is a historic lighthouse located on the northeastern part of the highest point of Cape San Juan in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. The lighthouse was constructed in 1880 and was officially lit on May 2, 1882. The original illuminating apparatus, not changed until after 1898, had an 18-mile (29 km) range and displayed a fixed white light which every three minutes flashed red.

Front of the lighthouse

Cape San Juan Light

View from the top of the lighthouse
Location	Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Coordinates	18°22′52.″N 65°37′5.7″W
Tower
Foundation	stone base[1]
Construction	stone
Automated	1975
Height	45 feet (14 m)[1]
Shape	cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	white tower with black band at the base, black lantern
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Light
First lit	1882
Focal height	79 m (259 ft)
Lens	Third order Fresnel[1]
Range	26 nmi (48 km; 30 mi)
Characteristic	Fl W 15s
Faro de las Cabezas de San Juan
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Puerto Rico Historic Sites and Zones
Architectural style	Neoclassic
MPS	Lighthouse System of Puerto Rico TR
NRHP reference No.	81000692[2]
Added to NRHP	October 22, 1981

The lighthouse owned by the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust is part of the Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve.^[3] The 316-acre (128 ha) reserve includes a bioluminescence bay, rare flora and fauna, various trails and boardwalks, and a scientific research center. Despite its small size, the reserve shelters seven different ecological systems, including beaches, lagoons, dry forest, coral reefs and mangroves.

In 1898, the lighthouse played a major role in the Battle of Fajardo during the Puerto Rican Campaign of the Spanish–American War. The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States government on October 22, 1981, and on the Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones in 2000.^[4]

In 2001, under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, it became the first lighthouse to be transferred to a non-governmental organization in Puerto Rico.^[5]

Gallery

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See also

• List of lighthouses in Puerto Rico

References

1. "Cape San Juan Light". Inventory of Historic Light Stations. National Park Service. September 18, 2006. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
3. "Las Cabezas de San Juan Lighthouse - Municipalities | EnciclopediaPR". Archived from the original on 2020-05-08. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
4. GOBIERNO DE PUERTO RICO, JUNTA DE PLANIFICACIÓN DE PUERTO RICO (December 7, 2022). "REGISTRO DE PROPIEDADES DESIGNADAS POR LA JUNTA DE PLANIFICACIÓN DE PUERTO RICO" (PDF). jp.pr.gov.
5. "Deputy Secretary Scarlett Leads Ceremony Transferring Las Cabezas de San Juan Lighthouse to The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico". U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on May 7, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-08.

External links

• Faro De Las Cabezas De San Juan. National Park Service
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PR-18, "Faro de las Cabezas de San Juan, Cabezas de San Juan, Las Croabas, Fajardo Municipio, PR", 16 photos, 2 color transparencies, 6 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
• Las Cabezas de San Juan Reserva Natural 'El Faro'. Lonely Planet review
• Puerto Rico Conservation Trust