The history of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse is remarkably interesting. The lighthouse sits on top of a midden shell mound on the northern side of the Jupiter Inlet. This location in Jupiter was chosen in 1853 when Congress authorized the construction. The Jupiter Lighthouse project was assigned and designed by George Gordon Meade, a young Army Lieutenant. The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse was constructed in stages over the next eight years. 

The Lighthouse was one of six Florida lighthouses assigned to Meade before being completed under the supervision of Lieutenant William Raynolds. Lieutenant Raynolds enhanced the final design by increasing the height of the lighthouse tower to 105 feet and doubling the masonry wall for protection from the storms. The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse is located between the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse to the north and the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse to the south. 

The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse was completed in May of 1860. The light was lit two months later in July. The light can be noticed for twenty-four nautical miles at sea. 

Over the years, more than seventy different lighthouse keepers served at the Jupiter Inlet for some period. In the late 1930s, the lighthouse merged with the Coast Guard. It remains an active aid to navigation with one of thirteen active 1st Order Fresnel Lenses in the United States.  

One of the original 1st Order Fresnel lenses, an intricate beehive-shaped mass of brass and glass prisms, served as a beacon to mariners from the top of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. The Light was converted to electricity in 1928.