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The Marquette Harbor Light is located on
Construction of the current structure began in 1865. The 1-story dwelling shares its design with the lighthouses on Granite Island, Gull Rock and Huron Island. It includes a set of cast-iron spiral stairs winding from the first floor to the lantern centered on the square gallery atop the tower, a decagonal cast-iron lantern was installed, and a new fixed white Fourth Order
Maritime Heritage Program. Pictures before and after the dwelling modifications are available. A second story was added in 1910. The tower is attached to a schoolhouse style''Lighthouse Memories: Marquette Harbor Light'' (December, 1999)
Lighthouse Digest. The site was considered to be difficult and staffing was a problem. By 1882, after 29 years in operation, ten keepers had either been removed or resigned from service at Marquette. In 1891, a station of the U.S. Life-Saving Service began operations on the lighthouse grounds, with the station located to the west of the lighthouse, which in 1915 became part of the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1939 the U.S. Lighthouse Service also merged under the control of the U.S. Coast Guard, placing all facilities on the grounds under the same government control. As part of the U.S. Coast Guard, the site became a training station during World War II with up to 300 recruits living in the various buildings on the facility grounds. The adjacent Coast Guard station is still active. The original 4° Fresnel lens was transferred to Marquette Breakwater Outer Light in 1908 and is now also on display at the museum.
In April 1983, the Coast Guard demolished the fog signal building, leaving only the foundation.
This light was listed on the
D'Entremont, Jeremy, ''Students Pitch in to Restore Newly Leased Lighthouse'' (July, 2002)
Lighthouse Digest.
Lighthouse Memories: Marquette Harbor Light'' (December, 1999)
Lighthouse Digest. *Stonehouse, Frederick. (1974) ''Marquette Shipwrecks''. Marquette, MI: Harboridge Press.
Marquette Maritime Museum
- operates tours of the Marquette Harbor Light
Aerial photos, Marquette Harbor Light, marinas.com.
Marquette country on Marquette Harbor light.
at Pepper, Terry, Seeing the Light.
Satellite view at
U.S. Coast Guard Search & Rescue Index
{{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1852 Lighthouses completed in 1865 Houses completed in 1865 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Museums in Marquette County, Michigan Lighthouse museums in Michigan Buildings and structures in Marquette, Michigan 1852 establishments in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Marquette County, Michigan
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 ...
in Marquette, 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, ...
, a part of the Upper Peninsula
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula b ...
. It is an active aid to navigation
In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. The ...
.Interactive map on Michigan lighthousesDetroit News
''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on February ...
.
History
To help navigation towards ore docks, Congress approved funds to build the Marquette Harbor Light in 1850. Construction took place in 1852, and first lit in June 1853. However, the initial structure deteriorated rapidly, and funds were approved in 1865 for a replacement tower. In 1875, the Army Corps of Engineers built abreakwater
Breakwater may refer to:
* Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour
Places
* Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia
* Breakwater Island, Antarctica
* Breakwater Islands, Nunavut, Canada
* ...
to reduce the force of wind and waves in Marquette Harbor. A strong storm destroyed the original light in 1889. The new light sits on a concrete crib at the southernmost end of the breakwater wall.
The original 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 ...
included seven Lewis lamps, and a small detached dwelling constructed of similar materials to that of the tower. In 1853, the United States Lighthouse Board
The United States Lighthouse Board was the second agency of the U.S. federal government, under the Department of Treasury, responsible for the construction and maintenance of all lighthouses and navigation aids in the United States, between 18 ...
was created and a major system upgrade brought on an installation of a Sixth Order French 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 ...
in 1856. The new lens was visible up to . Because of weather conditions, installation, maintenance and operation of a foghorn
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. ...
was integral to the operation.
In July 1899, the lighthouse was electrified under the direction of Thomas Miller.
The current lens is a DCB-36 Aerobeacon. Putting aside questions of nostalgia, aesthetics, or appreciation for the engineering of a bygone era (as exemplified by the Fresnel lens), this iteration of lighthouse illumination is itself incredibly effective, and an endangered remnant of another bygone era.
Construction of the current structure began in 1865. The 1-story dwelling shares its design with the lighthouses on Granite Island, Gull Rock and Huron Island. It includes a set of cast-iron spiral stairs winding from the first floor to the lantern centered on the square gallery atop the tower, a decagonal cast-iron lantern was installed, and a new fixed white Fourth 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 ...
with a 190° arc of visibility was assembled atop its cast-iron pedestal. The focal plane is at above the lake, and was visible for a distance of 10 nautical miles in clear weather.National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
br>Inventory of Historic Light Stations: Michigan LighthousesMaritime Heritage Program. Pictures before and after the dwelling modifications are available. A second story was added in 1910. The tower is attached to a schoolhouse style
lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as ...
's residence.
The area had three fog signals, the louder being in the fog signal building and one in each breakwater. Each had its own distinct tone.Lighthouse Digest. The site was considered to be difficult and staffing was a problem. By 1882, after 29 years in operation, ten keepers had either been removed or resigned from service at Marquette. In 1891, a station of the U.S. Life-Saving Service began operations on the lighthouse grounds, with the station located to the west of the lighthouse, which in 1915 became part of the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1939 the U.S. Lighthouse Service also merged under the control of the U.S. Coast Guard, placing all facilities on the grounds under the same government control. As part of the U.S. Coast Guard, the site became a training station during World War II with up to 300 recruits living in the various buildings on the facility grounds. The adjacent Coast Guard station is still active. The original 4° Fresnel lens was transferred to Marquette Breakwater Outer Light in 1908 and is now also on display at the museum.
Current status
In April 1983, the Coast Guard demolished the fog signal building, leaving only the foundation.
This light was 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 ...
in 1984. It was also included on the state inventory in 1969.
In 2002, a 30-year lease was signed by the Marquette Maritime Museum, which is responsible for maintenance and control of the facility. As part of their operations, they made the lighthouse available for scheduled tours. On the 150th anniversary of the lighthouse, in July 2016, the Coast Guard turned over the deed of ownership to the City of Marquette The lighthouse is open and tours are conducted through the Marquette Maritime Museum every day but Monday. Tours are at 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, and 2:30 pm from mid-May through mid-October.
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 ...
References
Further reading
D'Entremont, Jeremy, ''Students Pitch in to Restore Newly Leased Lighthouse'' (July, 2002)
Lighthouse Digest.
Lighthouse Memories: Marquette Harbor Light'' (December, 1999)
Lighthouse Digest. *Stonehouse, Frederick. (1974) ''Marquette Shipwrecks''. Marquette, MI: Harboridge Press.
External links
Marquette Maritime Museum
- operates tours of the Marquette Harbor Light
Aerial photos, Marquette Harbor Light, marinas.com.
Marquette country on Marquette Harbor light.
at Pepper, Terry, Seeing the Light.
Satellite view at
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panorama, interactive panoramic views of streets (Google Street View, Street View ...
.
U.S. Coast Guard Search & Rescue Index
{{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1852 Lighthouses completed in 1865 Houses completed in 1865 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Museums in Marquette County, Michigan Lighthouse museums in Michigan Buildings and structures in Marquette, Michigan 1852 establishments in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Marquette County, Michigan