The Marquette Harbor Light is located on

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

in Marquette,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, a part of the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – 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 by t ...

. 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. Ai ...

.Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses

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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

breakwater 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 Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...

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 lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

included seven

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 they re ...

s, 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 developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

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. W ...

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. Marquette Harbor Light

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

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 agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

br>Inventory of Historic Light Stations: Michigan Lighthouses
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 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 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. W ...

building and one in each breakwater. Each had its own distinct tone.''Lighthouse Memories: Marquette Harbor Light'' (December, 1999)

Lighthouse Digest ''Lighthouse Digest'', a specialty magazine from FogHorn Publishing in East Machias, Maine, is about maritime history with particular attention to the preservation of lighthouses and their past. Though it is geared toward enthusiasts and ant ...

. 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 The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...

. 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

Marquette Harbor Light Fog Signal Foundation

In April 1983, the Coast Guard demolished the

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 United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

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.

References

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

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.
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

History

Current status

See also

References

Further reading

External links