Thunder Bay Island Light, located on

Thunder Bay Island Thunder Bay Island is a island in Lake Huron. The island is one of eight constituent islands of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The island is part of Alpena Township in Alpena County. It marks the entrance to Thunder Bay, the h ...

's southeast tip, is one of the oldest operating

lighthouses 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 mark ...

in Michigan. The third operating U.S. lighthouse in Lake Huron was built here in 1831, but it disintegrated almost at once and was rebuilt in 1832 of local limestone. This 1830s light tower was raised ) to a height of in 1857, and sheathed with brick. A fourth order

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 ...

was installed. This 1857 light tower is the current Thunder Bay Island Light, although the tower has been further altered and is currently high. A

fog bell A fog bell is a navigation mark used as an audible aid to navigation in seafaring, especially in fog and poor visibility. Floating navigation signs with bells are called bell buoys. On ships, the ship's bell is used for sound signals. Due to more s ...

was installed in 1858, and the lightkeeper's house was rebuilt in 1868. A steam-powered

fog horn 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 added in 1871, and a fog signal building sheltering the fog signal apparatus was constructed in 1892. The lighthouse was staffed during the seasons of Great Lakes navigation from 1832 until the staff was replaced by automation in 1983, more than 150 years later.

Current status

The Thunder Bay Island Light was automated in 1983. The lighthouse was added to 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 ...

on August 19, 1984; however, the lighthouse and adjoining infrastructure resources have deteriorated since automation. In 1997 the

United States 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, mult ...

leased Thunder Bay Island Light to the ''Thunder Bay Island Preservation Society'' (TBILPS). Under TBILPS's guidance, the light has been the object of an intense rescue effort. They have been the subject of a feature article in

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 antiqu ...

. In 2004, Stephen B. Tongue and TBILPS published a book on Thunder Bay Island's history and heritage, with proceeds assigned to the historic preservation of the island.Tongue, Steve ''Lanterns and Lifeboats'' ($14.95 plus $2.00 shipping & handling to: TBILPS, P.O. Box 212, Alpena MI 49707, Attn: Book Committee.

Notes

References

*Stephen D. Tongue, "Lanterns & Lifeboats: A History of Thunder Bay Island" (Alpena, Mich.; Serge Publications, 2004).

External links

Lighthouse Central, Photographs, History, Directions and Way points for Thunder Bay Island Lighthouse, ''The Ultimate Guide to East Michigan Lighthouses'' by Jerry Roach
(Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC - July 2006). ; . *

* {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1832 Lighthouses completed in 1857 Houses completed in 1857 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Buildings and structures in Alpena County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Alpena County, Michigan 1832 establishments in Michigan Territory