Old Port Boca Grande Lighthouse

At a glance

• Where: southern tip of Gasparilla Island, Gasparilla Island State Park, Boca Grande, Florida
• First lit: December 31, 1890
• Design: a two-story wooden house on iron screw piles, with the lantern on the roof
• Status: active aid to navigation; museum run by the Barrier Island Parks Society
• Visiting: museum open daily November to May, free with park admission

History

At the southern end of Gasparilla Island you’ll find the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, which this post used to call the Old Port Boca Grande Lighthouse. Right next to it sits its twin, the house where the assistant keeper lived. Built in 1890, both buildings were nearly lost to the sea.

When phosphate was found up the Peace River in the early 1880s, it was shipped down the river on barges to Port Boca Grande and loaded onto ocean-going ships. The port was also shipping cattle to Cuba. With all that traffic, Congress set aside money in 1888 for a lighthouse at the southern tip of Gasparilla Island. The light was first lit on December 31, 1890. It’s a two-story frame house raised on iron screw piles, with the lantern in a cupola on the roof.

Keepers and their families lived and worked at the lighthouse for about six decades. The keeper and his family lived in the lighthouse, and the assistant keeper lived in the twin house next door. The keeper tended the light until midnight, and his assistant took over for the rest of the night. Traffic through the pass peaked during World War II, when more than 30 ships a day used Port Boca Grande.

In the mid-1950s the light was automated. Ten years later, in 1966, the Coast Guard turned it off, and by 1969 it had abandoned the station. The buildings were falling apart, and by 1970 the beach had eroded so badly that waves were breaking under the house at high tide. Local concern grew, rock groins were built, and sand was pumped in to rebuild the beach. Lee County took over the lighthouse and about 13 acres around it in 1972, and the Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association raised money to restore it.

The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 1986 it was relit as a working Coast Guard light. In 1988 the lighthouse and land were transferred from Lee County to the State of Florida and became part of Gasparilla Island State Park. The museum opened in 1999 and is run by the Barrier Island Parks Society.

The ghost stories (legend)

The Port Boca Grande Lighthouse is said to have two ghosts. During the lighthouse’s history, the young daughter of one of the keepers died in the house, most likely of diphtheria or whooping cough. Tour guides say she can be heard playing in one of the rooms upstairs. A former park ranger who led tours often pointed to a doorway on the second floor and told visitors it was one of the little girl’s favorite places to play. The same ranger said she can be heard playing upstairs at midnight. We couldn’t find the girl’s name, the year or her father’s name in any record.

The second ghost is said to be the headless spirit of a Spanish princess named Josefa.

Legend says the Spanish pirate José Gaspar, known as Gasparilla, buried his treasure in the sand near where the lighthouse would be built some ninety years later. Gaspar supposedly fell in love with a Spanish princess he had kidnapped. When she rejected him, he drew his sword in a rage and cut off her head. Ashamed of what he had done, Gasparilla buried her body in the sand on the island. But his love was so great that, the story says, he kept her head with him for the rest of his days. People report seeing her headless spirit walking the beach on Gasparilla Island, presumably looking for her head.

Historians have found no proof that José Gaspar ever existed. Tampa’s famous Gasparilla Pirate Festival is based on the legend.

How strong is the lore? Thin. The keeper’s-daughter story comes from tour guides and a former ranger, with no name or date attached. The headless princess belongs to a pirate who probably never lived. It’s charming lore, but it’s lore.

Visiting today (checked November 2026)

The lighthouse is at 880 Belcher Road, Boca Grande, inside Gasparilla Island State Park at the south end of the island. You reach the island over the Boca Grande Causeway, which charges a toll.

• Museum hours: The Barrier Island Parks Society’s hours page says November to May the museum is open every day, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. From June to October it’s open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s closed on major holidays. The Florida State Parks page lists Tuesday to Sunday in winter instead, so call 941-964-0060 to check.
• Cost: The museum is free with park admission, which Florida State Parks lists as $3 per vehicle. Donations to the museum are welcome.
• Accessibility: BIPS says the elevator lift was damaged in Hurricane Milton and is out of service.
• Climbing: You can’t climb into the lantern here. The nearby Gasparilla Island Lighthouse (the rear range light) has occasional tower climbs run by BIPS. Check bips.org for climb dates.
• Inside: The museum covers the Calusa people, the phosphate port, tarpon fishing in Boca Grande Pass and the keepers, with a hands-on area for kids and a gift shop.

FAQ

Who haunts the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse?

Two ghosts, the story says: a keeper’s young daughter who’s heard playing upstairs, and a headless princess tied to the legend of the pirate José Gaspar.

Was Gasparilla real?

Historians have found no proof that José Gaspar existed. He’s a much-loved Florida legend, and Tampa still holds a Gasparilla festival.

Can you visit?

Yes. The lighthouse is a museum in Gasparilla Island State Park, open daily from November to May and Tuesday to Saturday from June to October, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

More haunted lighthouses in Florida

Read about Pensacola Lighthouse and St. Augustine Lighthouse.

Sources

• Barrier Island Parks Society: Port Boca Grande Lighthouse hours: 2026 hours, elevator notice, phone
• Florida State Parks: Port Boca Grande Lighthouse and Museum: history, museum, fees
• Florida Lighthouse Association: Port Boca Grande: address, status
• Wikipedia: Gasparilla Island Lights: first lighting, 1966 deactivation, 1970 erosion, 1986 relighting, 1999 museum

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