St. Johns River Lighthouse is a 72-foot conical brick tower standing within Naval Station Mayport. Its unpainted red masonry and white lantern distinguish it from the nearby modern St. Johns Lighthouse, which took over the area’s active navigational role.
The first lighthouse at the river mouth was built in 1830 but quickly became vulnerable to erosion. A second tower followed in the 1830s, and the present third lighthouse was completed farther inland in 1858, displaying its third-order Fresnel lens for the first time on January 1, 1859. River jetties gradually moved the effective entrance farther from the station. A lightship began serving offshore, and the old lighthouse was discontinued in 1931. The surrounding land later became part of Naval Station Mayport, whose runway and security perimeter isolated the tower from normal public access.
The best close view is inside Naval Station Mayport, where access is normally limited to authorized visitors. From outside the base, the tower can be seen through fencing near the Mayport riverfront and ferry area. The grounds and tower are closed without Navy permission.
Naval Station Mayport owns the inactive lighthouse. It has no optic and does not serve as an aid to navigation. Preservation and possible relocation have been discussed, but the tower remains on the secured base with no regular public access.
