I'm kind of lucky as I live right across the river from this lighthouse. So, you may be interested in knowing that the light beam passes by my cottage once ever 24 seconds. You can thank my insomnia for that bit of useless information.

The stairs that go up the inside are all metal grate. It scared my wife to death when we went up there because you can see all the way down through the steps.

I love lighthouses so whenever I am near one I go visit it. The ones I have seen are Atlantic shore constructions, Cape Cod and along the coast from the Long Island Sound to Maine. The lighthouses are used no more but are left standing as historic relics and most certainly local tourist attractions. A warning strobe light on a pole sits nearby, negating the need for daily maintenance by a lamp tender living there 24/7. Yes, the simple strobe is much more economical but romantic it is not. In some places the huge old fresnel lenses are on display which always delight me. Imagine the fact that this glass could send the light from a wicked oil lamp ten miles out to sea!

Here it is today, well cared for and preserved as a museum.
http://www.staugustinelighthouse.com/

I once climbed to the top of this Lighthouse using the circular stairs. It's quite a view from the top and also a great workout. Oh, and the Lighthouse is 165 feet high with 219 steps.

It's haunted.

So that's where good barber poles go when they die!