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Florida’s 1884 Sanibel Island Lighthouse has undergone a much needed rehabilitation and its traditional brown color has been magnificently retained. The contract for the work was awarded by the City of Sanibel, which manages the lighthouse, to Razorback LLC. The project consisted of repairs to deteriorated steel and application of a new protective coating system.
The keepers of yesteryear and their families, such as those of Henry Shanahan, would be proud to see the results. Shanahan became the assistant keeper at Sanibel Island Lighthouse in 1890 and the head keeper in 1892. Reports indicate that when Shanahan’s wife died, leaving him with seven children, he met and married Irene Rutland, a widow with five children. The couple had one child together for a total of thirteen children. Shanahan’s stepson became an assistant keeper at the lighthouse.
You can learn more about Sanibel Island Lighthouse by referring to the story in the July 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest. That story can also be found in our on-line archives at www.LighthouseDigest.com by typing Sanibel into the search box on the site.
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