American Shoals, Florida

Front:
25 SHINGTON APR 26 1990 20066 COAST GUARD AMERICAN SHOALS, FLORIDA DC

Back:
AMERICAN SHOALS, FLORIDA First Day of Issue: April 26, 1990 First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. The American Shoals Lighthouse stands in solitude with its feet in the sea, oblivious to the onslaught of waves even after the passage of over one hundred years. The light- house blinks a staccato warning of dangerous reefs to give mariners their bearings in a seascape that can appear as foreign as the surface of a planet from another galaxy when blanketed in darkness. As early as 1851, plans were in the works for a series of great offshore lighthouses like American Shoals to mark the reefs which lurk perilously silent in Florida's waters. These towers, all of skeleton iron construction to help them withstand the hurricane's fury, were built over a period of almost thirty years. American Shoals, the last of the series, was completed in 1880. First lighted on July 15, 1880, it has significantly reduced the number of shipwrecks along this treacherous coastline. Today, this tower is just the sort of vintage lighthouse The Lighthouse Preservation Society seeks to save for the future. No. 90-18 PRESERVATIONS OFFICIAL MAXIMUM CARD ©1990 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Dennis Lyall