Eagle Harbor Light is an operational
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Ligh ...
at
Eagle Harbor, in
Keweenaw County
Keweenaw County (, ) is a county in the western Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 2,046, making it Michigan's least populous county. It is also the state's largest county by total ...
in the
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
of
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. It sits on the rocky entrance to Eagle Harbor and is one of several light stations that guide mariners on
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...
across the northern edge of the
Keweenaw Peninsula
The Keweenaw Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of the greater landmass of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw Peninsula projects about northeasterly into Lake Superior, forming Keweena ...
. The original lighthouse, built in 1851, was replaced in 1871 by the present red brick structure, which is a
Michigan State Historic Site
The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office is one of 59 state historic preservation offices established according to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 that plays a role in implementing federal historic preservation policy in th ...
and listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
History
Edward Taylor was the first to realize the commercial potential of Eagle Harbor, building a short timber pier in the bay in 1844 from which to supply the growing number of miners in the area. A rocky ledge with only eight feet of water above it spread across the harbor entry, and represented a barrier to vessels of deep draft. However, the copper boom saw an increasing number of vessels visiting the dock, and Taylor began to lobby for federal funding for improving the entry into the harbor.
[Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Eagle Harbor Light.](_blank)
/ref>
The original Eagle Harbor Light was built in 1851. The structure took the form of a rubble stone keeper's dwelling with a square white-painted wooden tower integrated into one end of the roof. The tower was capped with an octagonal wooden lantern with multiple glass panes, and outfitted with an array of Lewis lamps with reflectors. With the lamps standing above the dwelling's foundation, the building's location on high ground placed the lamps at a focal plane of above lake level.McGulpin Point Light
McGulpin Point Light was constructed as a navigational aid through the Straits of Mackinac. The light began operation in 1869, making it one of the oldest surviving lighthouses in the Straits. In operation until 1906, the light is located on McG ...
in 1868. It was thereafter used at White River Light
The White River Light is a lighthouse on Lake Michigan near the city of Whitehall, Michigan. It sits on a thin peninsula of land separating Lake Michigan from White Lake. The building was built in 1875.
Some of the buildings in existence fo ...
in 1875; and Sand Island Light (Wisconsin)
The Sand Island Light is a lighthouse located on the northern tip of Sand Island, one of the Apostle Islands, in Lake Superior in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, near the city of Bayfield.
Currently owned by the National Park Service and part of t ...
in 1881. The octagonal brick light tower is ten feet in diameter, with walls thick and it supports a 10-sided cast iron lantern. The Lighthouse was manned by a head keeper and two assistant keepers.
In 1999 the Congress of the United States transferred ownership of the Eagle Harbor Light Station to the Keweenaw County Historical Society. The Coast Guard continues to operate the light at the top of the tower.Exploring the North, Eagle Harbor.
/ref>
Museums
The Keweenaw County Historical Society operates the lighthouse as a museum, and also operates other museums at the site, including the Maritime Museum in the old fog signal building, the Commercial Fishing Museum, the Keweenaw History Museum and an exhibit on the 1926 shipwreck of the City of Bangor.
See also
* Lighthouses in the United States
This is a list of lighthouses in the United States. The United States has had approximately a thousand lighthouses, lights as well as light towers, Leading lights, range lights, and pier head lights. Michigan has the most lights of any state wit ...
Notes
External links
Keweenaw County Historical Society - Eagle Harbor Lighthouse and Museums
- official website
Aerial photos, Eagle Harbor Lighthouse, marinas.com
Detroit News, Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses
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Lighthouses completed in 1851
Houses completed in 1851
Lighthouses completed in 1871
Houses completed in 1871
Museums in Keweenaw County, Michigan
Lighthouses in Keweenaw County, Michigan
Lighthouse museums in Michigan
Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
Keweenaw National Historical Park
1851 establishments in Michigan
National Register of Historic Places in Keweenaw County, Michigan