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The community of Ponce, Puerto Rico, a charming city with a bit of flair of Old Spain and many tourist attractions, is a one-and-a-half hour drive from the well-known city of San Juan. One of its tourist attractions is La Guancha Recreational and Cultural Complex that features a modern boardwalk along the Caribbean, twenty-four kiosks serving assorted local flair, a restaurant, and an observation deck. It is from here that you can see the island of Cayo Cardona where the Cayo Cardona Lighthouse stands majestically. Because of various translations, as well as its location, the lighthouse is also known as the Cardona Island Lighthouse, Isla de Cordona Lighthouse and Faro del Puerto de Ponce Lighthouse.
Although the island is easy to get to, there is no ferry service; the only way to get there is via a private charter boat for a trip that takes about 30 minutes. Interestingly, a number of tourists are lured there to bathe in the healing properties that its thermal waters are supposed to have. With its white sands and crystal-clear water, the place is definitely a small, almost private paradise.
The lighthouse is located right in the center of a small key. It remains as a sturdy white building with a black skirt. Because of an entanglement of bushes, sea grapes, vines, and cactus surrounding it, only the top part of the tower can be seen from afar. A note on the double front door forbids visitors. However, vandals have left their mark around the building, but its copper dome remains intact. There is no place to take a photo that would show the entire building.
The first lighthouse in Ponce goes back to September 1, 1880 when a square wooden tower with a balcony was built atop the harbor master’s office. It had a sixth order lens from Sautter & Lemonnier with one wick fueled by oil, and it displayed a red light visible for 12 miles. But having been installed by local businessmen, the tower was not an official beacon and was eventually seized by the Department of Public Works, which appointed Jose Perez-Barrios as its keeper. It was decided that this was not the proper site for a lighthouse, and plans were set fort for a permanent “real” lighthouse at another location.
Construction on the new and current Cayo Cardona Lighthouse began on Jun 11, 1887 and was not completed until two years later on May 9, 1889. Constructed of brick, the building had a hall running through its center that ended at the base of the tower. To the left were two sleeping quarters and a kitchen. To the right were a living room, a large storage room, a small oil storage room, a keeper’s office, and a bathroom. The floor of the hall was covered with Genoa tiles and the bedrooms and living room had pinewood floors; the rest of the structure had cement floors.
The tower, which was originally painted blue with white trim, was lighted with the lens that had previously been atop the harbor master’s office for the first time in the new lighthouse on August 17, 1889. It was lighted by Ramon Dordal who was an auxiliary keeper from the El Morro Lighthouse. The second keeper was Jose Perez-Barrios, who had been the keeper at the original lighthouse that stood atop the harbor master’s office.
The lighthouse was heavily damaged by Hurricane San Felipe on September 13, 1928, and although repairs were made, they took some time complete. Automation arrived in 1962 and the Fresnel lens was removed and replaced by a modern optic; eventually solar panels were installed. On October 22, 1981 the lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and remains an active aid to navigation. Probably because of its isolation, the structure remains in relatively good shape but is obviously showing signs of deterioration from neglect, and there seem to be no plans for its restoration in the near future.
This story appeared in the
Sep/Oct 2014 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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