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15 things I LEARNED this week about
Michigan
Lighthouses
Dianna Stampfler
PromoteMichigan.com
August 7 is “National Lighthouse Day”
On August 7, 1789, Congress approved an Act for the establishment and support of lighthouse, beacons, buoys and public piers. In Celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the signing of the Act and the commissioning of the first Federal lighthouse, Congress passed a resolution in 1989 which designated August 7 as National Lighthouse Day.
Source: American Lighthouse Foundation (www.lighthousefoundation.org)
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Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state!
Depending on your classification of “lighthouse” (vs. beacon), Michigan has 120-129 lights along its freshwater Great Lakes shoreline—more than any other state. The earliest standing was built in Fort Gratiot on Lake Huron in 1825. The newest was built in St. Ignace in 1998 for the Michigan Welcome Center and moved to the marina in 2006.
For more about Michigan’s many lighthouses, visit Michigan.org.
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Fort Gratiot is Michigan’s Oldest Lighthouse (c. 1825)
Established in 1814, military Fort Gratiot, named after General Charles Gratiot, was established to guard the juncture of Lake Huron and the St. Clair River. In 1823 Congress approved the funds to build the first lighthouse in Michigan (and the second on the Great Lakes). The first lighthouse in this area was built in 1825; in 1829, a new lighthouse was built north of the military fort by Lucius Lyon, who later became one of Michigan’s first U.S. Senators. Source: Port Huron Historical Museum.
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Civil War soldiers were often appointed lighthouse keepers
As the lighthouse service was part of the Federal Government, positions were often political appointments for veterans of the Civil War. Two such individuals were Captain James S. Donahue at the South Haven Lighthouse and Aaron Sheridan at South Manitou Island Light. Both were injured in battle. Donahue only had one leg and Sheridan had the use of only one arm.
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James S. Donahue Aaron Sheridan
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Women were allowed to serve as lighthouse keepers!
More than two dozen women tended lights in Michigan, many as the wives, widows or daughters of keepers. One such woman was Elizabeth Whitney VanRiper Williams who served the St. James Harbor Light atWhiskey Point on Beaver Island (1872-1884) following the death of her husband, Clement VanRiper (who died during an attempted shipwreck rescue in the island’s Paradise Bay). She also served as the first keeper at Little Traverse - Harbor Point Light in Harbor Springs (1884-1913) with her second husband, Daniel Williams. When Elizabeth died in 1913 at the age of 71, she had worked in lighthouses for a remarkable 41 years.
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You can spend the night in a Lighthouse B&B
There are only about a dozen lighthouse bed-and-breakfast operations in the country—and Michigan’s UP is home to at least three! Sand Hills B&B is in Ahmeek (25 miles north of Houghton / Hancock on the Keweenaw Peninsula);Jacobsville Lighthouse is in Lake Linden and Big Bay Point B&B is north of Marquette.
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Sand Hills Lighthouse Inn
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Many lighthouses are rumored to be haunted!
What is it about lighthouses that spark ghostly tales? Maybe it the desolation, the lost of life due to shipwrecks on the Great Lakes or an unwavering dedication to the job. In all, more than 20 lights share tales of souls lost here forever, including Captain Joseph Willie Townshend at Seul Choix Point Lighthouse in Gulliver (UP; Lake Michigan).
For more haunted lighthouse stories, click here.
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You can take cruises out to many Michigan’s lighthouses
Shepler’s Ferry out of the Straits of Mackinac offers a variety of cruises to get people up close and personal to the lighthouses in the area (the Straits are referred to as the Gateway to the Great Lakes, with more than 20 lights in the area).
Multi-day trips are also offered aboard the Keweenaw Star, out of Charlevoix.
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You can serve as a modern day lighthouse keeper!
Several Michigan lighthouses have programs where you can (pay to) volunteer as a modern day keeper. These include Big Sable Point in Ludington, Little Sable Point in Mears, Tawas Point in East Tawas, Grand Traverse in Northport, Old Mission in Traverse City, South Manitou Island out of Leland, St. Helena Island it the Straits of Mackinac.
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Big Sable Point Lighthouse
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There is a Lighthouse Festival in Alpena each October!
Visit more than 100 maritime related vendors including lighthouse preservation groups, artists, authors and more during the 20th Annual Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival, Oct. 8-11 in Alpena. A variety of lighthouse tours—aerial, boat and via personal vehicle—are offered at several nearby historic sites along the Lake Huron coastline.
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Old Presque Isle Light
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Stamped for approval!
In 1995, the U.S. Postal Service came out with a commemorative series of stamps featuring Great Lakes lighthouses. St. Joseph’s Pier / Range Lights were among them. The first lighthouse built at the mouth of the St. Joseph River was completed in 1832, making it one of the two earliest lights on Lake Michigan. The inner light was constructed in 1898; however, in 1906, the pier was extended one thousand feet, and the light was rebuilt a year later. The other pier range light system like this in Michigan can be found in Grand Haven.
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People love to take pictures of our lights
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You can join the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association
Originally consisting of an informal gathering of retired lighthouse keepers, their families and friends, the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (GLLKA) was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1983, making it one of the nation's longest-lived lighthouse preservation groups.
Find membership information at GLLKA.com.
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Lighthouse license plates raise money for preservation
Michigan began issuing specialty license plates in April of 2001 to raise money forseveral state-supported causes. With its striking red-and-white stripes, the White Shoal Lighthouse (Straits of Mackinac, Lake Michigan) is set against the blue waters of Lake Michigan to symbolize the need to preserve all of Michigan's lighthouses for future generations.
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Promote Michigan presents regular Lighthouse Programs
Dianna Stampfler of Promote Michigan has been speaking about Michigan’s lighthouses since 1997. You can find a schedule of upcoming events, or look at booking your own program, by visiting the Speaker’Bureau page at PromoteMichigan.com (or email [email protected]).
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