The Manistee Pierhead lights are a pair of active

aids to navigation A navigational aid (NAVAID), also known as aid to navigation (ATON), is any sort of signal, markers or guidance equipment which aids the traveler in navigation, usually nautical or aviation travel. Common types of such aids include lighthouses, ...

located on the north and south pier in the harbor of

Manistee, Michigan Manistee ( ') is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in southwestern Manistee County, it is part of the northwestern Lower Peninsula. Manistee is the county seat of Manistee County, and its population was 6,259 at the 2020 census. ...

, "Lake Michigan’s Victorian Port City."Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Manistee Pierhead Lighthouse.
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History

The first light was on the south pier in 1870. Unfortunately, it burnt in the Great Fire of 1871, October 8, 1871, along with the town of Manistee. Coincidentally, Manistee burnt on the same day as the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...

Peshtigo Fire The Peshtigo fire was a large forest fire on October 8, 1871, in northeastern Wisconsin, United States, including much of the southern half of the Door Peninsula and adjacent parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The largest community in ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, and fires in

Port Huron Port Huron is a city in and seat of government of St. Clair County, Michigan, United States. The population was 28,983 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the west by Port Huron Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Por ...

and

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

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, ...

. Two lighthouses were built, one on each pier in 1875. Over the years the lights have been moved several times, including moves to and from the mainland, and to and from the south to the north pier. Lights have been torn down and rebuilt. The current tower is located on the north pier. It is constructed of cast iron, and was first listed in 1927. The tower is a white cylinder, and the keeper's house is separate. The original lens was a Fifth Order

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...

. The tower has also been rebuilt as the pier has been extended. Other changes have involved the placement and configuration of the

fog horn A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. ...

. The present tower is tall. The catwalk is one of only four that survive in the State of Michigan.

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 ...

, Reference # 90000718 The tower is capped with a ten-sided steel lantern. The light uses a 5,000 candlepower incandescent electric bulb, and has a flashing mechanism which displays "a group occulting white light" over 30 seconds. Its focal plane is , and is visible for in clear weather. The "Type C"

diaphone The diaphone is a noisemaking device best known for its use as a foghorn: It can produce deep, powerful tones, able to carry a long distance. Although they have fallen out of favor, diaphones were also used at some fire stations and in other situ ...

is powered by an electric compressor housed in the tower, and emits a group of three blasts every 30 seconds. There is also a radio beacon. The northern pier light is located on the same side of the river as the Manistee

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...

station, and within shouting distance of the Manistee South pier light. The south pier has a steel tower navigational aid. This was constructed when the lighthouse was moved to the north pier in 1927. Manistee Pierhead Light was put up for sale under the

National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act The National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 (NHLPA; Public Law 106-355; 16 U.S.C. 470w-7) is United States, American legislation creating a process for the transfer of federally owned lighthouses into private hands. It was created a ...

in 2009. On June 30, 2011, ownership of the light was transferred to the City of Manistee. The Manistee County Historical Museum will maintain the light.

Directions

From

US 31 U.S. Route 31 or U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) is a major north–south U.S. highway connecting southern Alabama to northern Michigan. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 90/ US 98 in Spanish Fort, Alabama. I ...

go west on Memorial Drive, to the Fifth Ave. Beach and Park.

Notes

External links

Live Webcam Feed, Manistee North Pierhead Lighthouse, from Manistee Surf Cam.

Aerial photos, Manistee North Pierhead Light, marinas.com.

Detroit News, Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manistee Pierhead Lights Lighthouses completed in 1870 Lighthouses completed in 1927 Buildings and structures in Manistee County, Michigan Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Tourist attractions in Manistee County, Michigan Transportation in Manistee County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Manistee County, Michigan

History

Directions

See also

Notes

Further reading

External links