Marquette Harbor Light
Encyclopedia
The Marquette Harbor Light is located on Lake Superior
in Marquette
, Michigan
, a part of the Upper Peninsula. It is an active aid to navigation.
In 1875 the Army Corps of Engineers built a 2,000 foot breakwater
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
included seven 14 inches (355.6 mm) Lewis lamp
s, and a small detached 24 by 30 dwelling constructed of similar materials to that of the tower. In 1853, the United States Lighthouse Board
was created and a major system upgrade brought on an installation of a Sixth Order French Fresnel lens
in 1856. The new lens was visible up to ten miles (16 km). Because of weather conditions, installation, maintenance and operation of a foghorn
was integral to the operation.
In July, 1899 the lighthouse was electrified under 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 1½-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
with a 190° arc of visibility was assembled atop its cast-iron pedestal. The focal plane is at 70 feet (21.3 m) above the lake, and was visible for a distance of 16 miles (25.7 km) in clear weather. Pictures before and after the dwelling modifications are available.
The tower is attached to a church style lighthouse keeper
's residence.
The area had three fog signals, the louder being in the fog signal building, with two on the breakwater. Each had its own distinct tone.
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.
This light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
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 also make the lighthouse available for scheduled tours. The lighthouse is open and tours are conducted from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. from mid-May through late October.
.
It has been described as "one of the most picturesque lighthouses" on the Lake Superior Coast.
Because of its picturesque form and location, it is often the subject of photographs, drawings, sculptures, needlepoint illustrations, and other memorabilia. Built high on a bluff, it is one of the oldest buildings in Marquette. It is listed in the National Register of Historical Places. It is described as the Marquette Harbor Light Station (added 1984 - Building - #84001803). and is also on the state registry.
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
in Marquette
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, a part of the Upper Peninsula. It is an active aid to navigation.
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 a 2,000 foot breakwater
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
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
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
included seven 14 inches (355.6 mm) Lewis lamp
Lewis lamp
The Lewis lamp is a type of light fixture used in lighthouses. It was invented by Winslow Lewis who patented the design in 1810. The primary marketing point of the Lewis lamp was that it used less than half the oil of the prior oil lamps which they replaced...
s, and a small detached 24 by 30 dwelling constructed of similar materials to that of the tower. In 1853, the United States Lighthouse Board
United States Lighthouse Board
The United States Lighthouse Board was the agency of the US Federal Government that was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses in the United States...
was created and a major system upgrade brought on an installation of a Sixth Order French Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
in 1856. The new lens was visible up to ten miles (16 km). Because of weather conditions, installation, maintenance and operation of a foghorn
Foghorn
A foghorn or fog signal or fog bell is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of hazards or boats of the presence of other vehicles 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 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.
Granite Island (Michigan)
Granite Island is a 2½ acre island in Lake Superior located about northwest of Marquette in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Posted upon it is the Granite Island Lighthouse, also known as Granite Island Light Station, and is "one of the oldest surviving lighthouses on Lake...
, Gull Rock and Huron Island
Huron Islands
The Huron Islands are a group of eight small, rocky islands in Lake Superior, located about three miles offshore from the mouth of the Huron River in northwestern Marquette County, Michigan. Together they comprise the Huron National Wildlife Refuge, which was established by President Theodore...
. 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
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
with a 190° arc of visibility was assembled atop its cast-iron pedestal. The focal plane is at 70 feet (21.3 m) above the lake, and was visible for a distance of 16 miles (25.7 km) in clear weather. Pictures before and after the dwelling modifications are available.
The tower is attached to a church style lighthouse keeper
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the 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. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
's residence.
The area had three fog signals, the louder being in the fog signal building, with two on the breakwater. Each had its own distinct tone.
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
United States Life-Saving Service
The United States Life-Saving Service was a United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian efforts to save the lives of shipwrecked mariners and passengers...
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
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
. In 1939 the U.S. Lighthouse Service
United States Lighthouse Service
The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the US Federal Government that was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses in the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 until 1939...
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 the 1980s, the Coast Guard demolished the fog signal building, leaving only the foundation.This light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
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 also make the lighthouse available for scheduled tours. The lighthouse is open and tours are conducted from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. from mid-May through late October.
Light in popular culture
Marquette Harbor Light is one of more than 150 past and present lighthouses in Michigan. Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state. See Lighthouses in the United StatesLighthouses in the United States
This is a list of lighthouses in the United States. The United States has had approximately a thousand lights as well as light towers, range lights, and pier head lights...
.
It has been described as "one of the most picturesque lighthouses" on the Lake Superior Coast.
Because of its picturesque form and location, it is often the subject of photographs, drawings, sculptures, needlepoint illustrations, and other memorabilia. Built high on a bluff, it is one of the oldest buildings in Marquette. It is listed in the National Register of Historical Places. It is described as the Marquette Harbor Light Station (added 1984 - Building - #84001803). and is also on the state registry.
Further reading
- D'Etremont, Jeremy, Students Pitch in to Restore Newly Leased Lighthouse (July, 2002) Lighthouse DigestLighthouse DigestLighthouse Digest is a specialty magazine for lighthouse and maritime history enthusiasts published in East Machias, Maine. Launched in May, 1992, by FogHorn Publishing, it is dedicated to preserving lighthouse history, current and yesteryear, for future generations.-Scope:Coverage includes...
. - LaFave, Michael (Jan. 16, 2002) Privatization Shines (article on the general subject of privatization of lighthouses.) Michigan Privatization Report, SKU: MPR2002-01 Mackinac Center for Public PolicyMackinac Center for Public PolicyThe Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a free market think tank headquartered in Midland, Michigan. It is the USA’s largest state-based free market think tank...
. - Lighthouse Memories: Marquette Harbor Light (December, 1999) Lighthouse DigestLighthouse DigestLighthouse Digest is a specialty magazine for lighthouse and maritime history enthusiasts published in East Machias, Maine. Launched in May, 1992, by FogHorn Publishing, it is dedicated to preserving lighthouse history, current and yesteryear, for future generations.-Scope:Coverage includes...
. - Stonehouse, Frederick. (1974) Marquette Shipwrecks. Marquette, MI: Harboridge Press.
External links
- Aerial photos, Marquette Harbor Light, marinas.com.
- Marquette country on Marquette Harbor light.
- Photo of 4th Order Fresnel lens (Marquette Harbor) at Pepper, Terry, Seeing the Light.
- Photos of Marquette Harbor Light.
- Satellite view at Google mapsGoogle MapsGoogle Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
. - U.S. Coast Guard Search & Rescue Index