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BREVARD HISTORY: Civil War-Era 4th Order Fresnel Lens Now On Display at Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Museum

By  //  May 5, 2023

original lens removed because of possible damage from vibrations due to rocket launches

Fans of lighthouses often will travel long distances to see Fresnel lenses, a revolutionary technology in lighting developed in the mid-1800s. Now there is no longer a need to go any farther than the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Museum, which began displaying a 4th order Fresnel lens on loan from the U.S. Coast Guard. (Cape Canaveral Museum image)

French physicist and engineer Augustin Fresnel developed the lens using thin bullseye-shaped panels, which reflected light vertically and horizontally, producing a stronger beam of light.

BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – Fans of lighthouses often will travel long distances to see Fresnel lenses, a revolutionary technology in lighting developed in the mid-1800s.

Now there is no longer a need to go any farther than the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Museum, which began displaying a 4th order Fresnel lens on loan from the U.S. Coast Guard.

The lens, which came from its warehouse in Washington, D.C., went on display on May 3, supervised by two lampposts authorized by the Coast Guard.

The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation has tried getting a Fresnel lens on display since it opened the museum in Dec. 2019.

“Finally. This is something we’ve been trying to get,” said Ron Ecker, president of the Foundation.

A 4th order lens was used at the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse following the Civil War and again from 1893 to 1894 when the Lighthouse was moved. The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse used the larger 1st order Fresnel lens until 1993, when it was removed because of possible damage from vibrations due to rocket launches.

It was replaced with a DCB-224 aerobic, which functioned until 2021. The current beacon is a modern SL 300 long-range marine lantern that uses LED.

The 4th order Fresnel lens, now on display in the museum, was manufactured circa 1905 by the Macbeth-Evans Company. “A 4th order lens is a perfect complement to our displays,” said Becky Zingarelli, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Museum director. “Very few of these were made in the United States.” (Cape Canaveral Museum image)

The 4th order Fresnel lens, now on display in the museum, was manufactured circa 1905 by the Macbeth-Evans Company.

“A 4th order lens is a perfect complement to our displays,” said Becky Zingarelli, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Museum director. “Very few of these were made in the United States.”

French physicist and engineer Augustin Fresnel developed the lens using thin bullseye-shaped panels, which reflected light vertically and horizontally, producing a stronger beam of light.

Fresnel lenses have been removed from most lighthouses and replaced with more modern lighting. The lens will remain on display for the foreseeable future at the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Museum.

The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is on the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and accessible only through guided tours.

Individual and small group four-hour tours of the lighthouse and historic spaceflight sites are offered by Canaveral Tours, which also occasionally offers shorter lighthouse and Hangar C-only tours.

Special tours are available in groups of 10 or more for community and civic groups that provide their own transportation.

For more information about tours, visit canaverallight.org or call 321-351-5052.

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