Saturday, April 4, 2020

Lighthouse of the Week, March 29-April 4, 2020: Pointe Aux Barques, Michigan, USA



Pointe Aux Barques is the tip of the thumb of Michigan's Lower Peninsula mitten shape (thus on the Lake Huron coast). In case that doesn't geographically orient you, click on this right here to see the map.

The Pointe Aux Barques lighthouse is the second in my Fresnel lens series of lighthouses, and it has considerable historic value. And it has it's own Web site, which can be a bit repetitive, but it is informative. I extracted the information on it below.
"The Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse ranks among the ten oldest lighthouses in Michigan. It is an active lighthouse maintained by the US Coast Guard remotely.

The original Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse was constructed of stone taken from the shore of Lake Huron in 1848. The keeper's house and separate tower were located on a three acre clearing hacked out of the dense wilderness.

By 1857, the ravages of shoreline weather and a fire in the interior of the house created the need for a new structure. The new keeper's house and attached 89-foot tower were built of the finest brick available. The light is still an active aid to navigation, making Pointe aux Barques one of the oldest continuously operating lights on the Great Lakes."

So let's look at some pictures and a 1-minute video.




by Chris Hardy






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