The White River Light is a

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 ...

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

near the city of

Whitehall, Michigan Whitehall is a city in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,706 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the southwest corner of Whitehall Township. Montague is its neighbor. It is located on White Lake (act ...

. It sits on a thin

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

of land separating Lake Michigan from White Lake. The building was built in 1875. Some of the buildings in existence for the lightstation consisted of the tower and attached dwelling, the South Pier-head Beacon light, oil house, woodshed or storage building and

Privy Privy is an old-fashioned term for an outdoor toilet, often known as an outhouse and by many other names. Privy may also refer to: * Privy council, a body that advises the head of state * Privy mark, a small mark in the design of a coin * Privy Pur ...

. It is one of four lighthouses that are operated by the Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association. Captain William Robinson was the first lighthouse keeper, working there for 47 years. He lived there with his wife and thirteen children. His residence was built out of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, the same material as that the forty foot octagonal tower connected to it was built out of. Towards the end of his life, Robinson walked with a cane. The lighthouse is said to be haunted, with people hearing the tapping of Robinson's cane. Frances Marshall, known as the last female lighthouse keeper in Michigan, worked there after his service. The lighthouse served as a guide to the river until 1960, when it was decommissioned. Fruitland Township acquired the lighthouse in 1966 and built a museum in 1970. Visitors can climb the spiral staircase or look at the original Fourth Order Fresnel lens. It is open to the public as a museum with regular hours posted from Memorial Weekend through August 31. The lighthouse is also open through September and October with reduced hours. The museum has a number of artifacts from the passenger and freight shipping on the lakes in addition to information on the light itself.

Notes

External links

Official Site for the White River Lighthouse Museum

*[http://www.lighthousecentral.com/lighthouse_gallery.php4?lighthouse=White%20River%20Lighthouse Lighthouse Central, Photographs, History, Directions and Way points for White River Light, ''The Ultimate Guide to West Michigan Lighthouses'' by Jerry Roach (Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC - 2005).] .
White River Light Page from Seeing the Light
* * ttp://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=192 White River Light Page at Lighthousefreinds.combr>White River Page from Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy
Lighthouses completed in 1875 Houses completed in 1875 Lighthouse museums in Michigan Museums in Muskegon County, Michigan {{Michigan-struct-stub

See also

Notes

External links