During the mid-1850’s a large portion of Florida’s southeastern coastline remained dark, unlighted and dangerous for shipping. Insurance companies and underwriters lobbied Congress to have additional navigational aids constructed to safeguard the thousands of dollars of cargo passing the area. This resulted in an appropriation of $35,000 to build a first order light to mark Jupiter Inlet in 1853. In 1854 President Franklin Pierce signed a presidential order to set aside 61.5 acres of land for the project.