ST. GEORGE ISLAND, Fla. — Patricia Hale is 65 and a half feet up in the air in Florida on a barrier island in the Panhandle.

What You Need To Know

  • St. George Lighthouse is located on St. George Island in Apalachicola Bay

  • Lighthouse was rescued in 2005 after crumbling into sea; it was rebuilt and reopened in 2008

  • St. George Lighthouse Association spearheaded project with local volunteers, government grants

  • Four locations in these years: 1833, 1848, 1852 and 2008

She’s not on a roller coaster, or any theme park ride.

It’s all lighthouse height.

“Four different lighthouses on four different spots. This is the most recent,” said Hale.

Hale is a Lighthouse Keeper at St. George Lighthouse on St. George Island at its fourth — and what she hopes — is its final and lasting location.

“It’s a wonderful resource,” said Hale.

And it carries its past in its walls, and in the museum next to it.

That’s where we find Terry Kemp, a local resident who helped to save the lighthouse.

“We sort of built the lighthouse a T-shirt and a barbecue sandwich at a time,” said Kemp.

The lighthouse’s third location on these barrier islands off Apalachicola was built in 1852.

And by the time it fell into the sea in 2005, there was already a group ready to save it.

“Oh my God we were in shock,” said Kemp. “But now it was like, 'We don’t have to stand around and talk about what are we gonna do. Because we don’t have any choices anymore.'”

They decided they’d rebuild and relocate the lighthouse to a drier spot.

“Of course, everyone thought we were crazy,” said Kemp.

For months, they salvaged pieces of the lighthouse. And what they couldn’t use, they preserved.

"We cleaned over 14,000 bricks in seven months’ time,” said Kemp.

They used the bricks from the 1848 and 1852 lighthouses to line the inner walls of the new 2008 lighthouse — 140,000 new bricks, and 14,000 old ones.

“We hope it will continue to go on beyond our lifetime,” said Kemp, touching the inside of the lighthouse at the base of the 92 hard pine steps.

For Hale, walking these steps everyday multiple times every day, it’s her life’s adventure.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to carry on the legacy of the lighthouse keepers that came before me and continue to teach our beautiful history,” said Hale.