page_title: Egmont Key Light
section_title: Fort Dade
hierarchical_section_title: Egmont Key Light / Fort Dade
caption_attribution_description: English: U.S. Coast Guard Archive Photo of Egmont Key Light without Lantern Room, near Tampa Bay, Florida
context_page_description: The current Egmont Key Light dates from 1858. It is the oldest structure in the Tampa Bay area still used for its original purpose.
context_section_description: At the start of the Spanish–American War, Fort Dade (named for Major Francis L. Dade, who was killed in a battle in the Second Seminole War) was established on Egmont Key to protect Tampa Bay from a Spanish attack. It consisted of several coastal artillery batteries protecting the main ship channel into Tampa Bay, as well as a secondary channel to the south of the island. A hospital at Fort Dade was used to quarantine all American soldiers returning from Cuba for ten days. During World War I Fort Dade was used as a training center for National Guard Coast Artillery Units. The fort was deactivated in 1921. Egmont Key was put to military use again during World War II, as a harbor patrol station and an ammunition storage facility.
caption: Egmont Key Lighthouse without lantern, U.S. Coast Guard Archive
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