As I said last week with the wintry lighthouses, one of them was going to be the featured Lighthouse of the Week this week. And so it is.
The lighthouse I picked was the Point Betsie lighthouse, located on Michigan's sand dune coast. There are dunes both south and north, up to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It's not open now, but when it is, there's an apartment in the keeper's house you can stay in. It's also a popular spot for weddings.
You can learn all about it at the web site for the lighthouse. There's also a great animation on the homepage.
As for the information; well, there's a lot of it. I will lightly excerpt from the Lighthouse Directory; the whole thing is on this page.
"1858. Active; focal plane 52 ft (16 m); white flash every 10 s. 37 ft (11 m) round cylindrical brick tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 2-story brick keeper's house (1895). Lighthouse painted white, lantern black; the house is white with a red roof. The original 4th order Fresnel lens is on display at Sleeping Bear Point Maritime Museum near Glen Arbor.""The lantern, formerly white with a red roof, was repainted in the original black. The restoration of the station has included the fog signal building and boathouse."
"In 2021 the state budget included $5.2 million for restoration work at the light station. Located at the end of Point Betsie Road, off MI 22 about 5 miles (8 km) north of Frankfort..."
So, if you're ever on the Lake Michigan dunes in Michigan, you might want to drop by Point Betsie.
Here's what it looks like, from various heights, angles, and seasons. (And the Fresnel lens on display.)
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