See more of our coverage of the General Services Administration’s 70th anniversary in our series, GSA @ 70: Mission Evolved
The federal government maintains thousands of properties around the country and sometimes needs to offload a few. This includes properties not on the mainland U.S., such as light houses from New England to the Caribbean, the Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest.
The General Services Administration’s National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act Program works with states, local communities, nonprofits and individuals to convey these historic structures for the sake of preservation. Scroll through the gallery to see some lighthouses currently for sale, as well as the most recent property transfers through the program.
Sombrero Key Lighthouse is tallest in the Florida Keys and is located on a mostly submerged reef which was a small island until about the 19th century. It began service in 1858, was automated in 1960 and was deactivated in 2015. According to Lighthouse Friends, future Civil War Gen. George Meade selected the lighthouse’s location. Its foundation is iron pilings with disks, and the tower is a skeletal octagonal pyramid of cast iron standing 142 feet tall with two platforms.