Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Lighthouse of the Week, October 17 - 23, 2021: Marquette Harbor, Michigan

 

Since it's autumn in the north (hemispherically), the next couple of lighthouses will be lighthouses with fall colors.  The first is the Marquette Harbor lighthouse on the Lake Superior shore Michigan's Upper Peninsula, adjacent to the town of Marquette. 

A quick summary from the Lighthouse Directory (which has a lot of text about this one):

"1866 (station established 1853). Active; focal plane 77 ft (23.5 m); white flash every 10 s. 40 ft (12 m) square cylindrical brick tower with lantern and gallery attached church-style to a 2-1/2 story brick keeper's house. A DCB-24 aerobeacon from this lighthouse on display at the Marquette Maritime Museum. The original 4th order Fresnel lens was transferred to the Breakwater Outer Light (next entry) in 1908 and is now also on display at the museum. Lighthouse painted bright red; lantern and gallery painted white with a red roof. The second story of the building was added in 1906. Fog signal building (1881) connected to the lighthouse by a long catwalk. This was an active Coast Guard station until 2002; the Coast Guard then leased the lighthouse to the museum, which began offering guided tours during the summer season. In 2003 the first floor was restored with the help of high school shop students and in 2005 a $40,000 state grant funded restoration of the exterior. In 2013 a fund drive was underway for repairs to the building and repainting. The exterior was painted in the spring of 2015. On 30 July 2016 the lighthouse was transferred to city ownership during the celebration of its 150th birthday. In September 2019 the city opened Lighthouse Park surrounding the lighthouse, maritime museum, and Coast Guard building."

This one can be purchased:





































And a few more, including the beautiful original Fresnel lens.






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