Lighthouses - The Keepers of the Night

Early settlements and commerce brought many ships and boats to the Great Lakes.  Lighthouses were built along the shores to help guide the travelers through the often dangerous and rough water to the port cities.  While the waters of Lake Erie claimed many lives, an incalculable number of tragedies were averted because the keepers kept the lights burning throughout the night to alert the travelers of their location.  The beacon from the lights can still be seen but the keeper’s job was eliminated with automation and advanced navigational aids.  Now the lighthouses serve as symbols of our heritage and rich maritime history.

Erie Land Lighthouse

Erie’s first light, the Land Lighthouse, sits high on the bluff at the foot of Lighthouse Street, overlooking Lake Erie and the channel that leads to the port city.

The tower, built in 1818, was also one of the first lighthouses on the Great Lakes, but had to be demolished because it began to sink.  In 1857, a second lighthouse was built, but lasted only ten years.  Then, in 1867, a site was selected for the new forty-nine foot tower just 200 feet east of the original site. 

The Land Lighthouse is made of sandstone with a brick lining.  It was completely restored in 2003 but the Fresnel lens, removed in 1901, was not replaced.  The adjacent house which was the keepers’ quarters is now a private residence, but visitors are welcome to walk the grounds.

Key Facts

 Built:  1818 original lighthouse
   1857 second lighthouse
   1867 present lighthouse

 Style:  Conical sandstone with brick lining.

 Tower: 49 feet high   
                                    69 steps to the lantern room. 

 Lens:  Third order Fresnel lens
   Removed in 1901
   Location unknown.

 Location:  Northernmost point on Lighthouse Street

 Access: Not open to the public.
   Picnic and playground facilities in adjacent park

North Pier Light

North Pier Light is located at the east end of the channel leading into Presque Isle Bay.  The original wooden beacon was destroyed by a sailboat in 1857.  The cast-iron replacement tower built in 1858 was moved in 1882 and then again in 1940.  This beacon emitted a fixed red beam until 1995, when the fourth order Fresnel lens was removed and replaced with a solar-powered red flashing light.  The Fresnel lens formerly used in the North Pier Light is now on display at the Erie Maritime Museum.

The tower is not open to the public, but visitors can walk along the pier to the base of the North Pier Light.
 
Key Facts:

 Built:  1858
   1940 Tower moved to present site.
   
 Style:  Square tapering metal tower.

 Tower: 34 feet high.

 Lens:  Fourth order Fresnel lens   
Removed 1995, and currently displayed at the Erie Maritime Museum.

 Location: East end of North Pier , on  
   Access road to the Coast Guard Station at Presque Isle.

 Access: Tower is not open
   Pier is accessible to the public.

Presque Isle Lighthouse

Presque Isle Lighthouse is located on the north shore of Presque Isle State Park at Lighthouse Beach.  Completed in 1873, the brick tower and attached dwelling was home to nine U.S. Lighthouse Service keepers and their families until 1944.  Before electric bulbs were used, the keeper climbed to the top of the tower every four hours to refill the whale oil in the lamp.  A warning beam visible for thirteen nautical miles was projected by a single oil lamp through a fourth order Fresnel lens mounted in the top of the tower.  Two red flashes followed by four white flashes let  ships know they were headed towards Erie. 

Today the light is automated, and the dwelling is a private residence for park staff.  Visitors can view the lighthouse from the beach and walk on the 1.5 mile Sidewalk Trail to Misery Bay to see where the keeper crossed the bay to get supplies. 

Key Facts:
 
 Built:  1872-1873
   1896 –Tower raised 17 feet.

 Style:  Square integral brick tower
   Attached brick dwelling.

 Tower: 68 feet high
   72 steps and 6 landings to the lantern room.

 Lens:  Fourth order Fresnel lens
   Removed in 1962
   Location unknown.

 Location: North shore on Beach #9
   Presque Isle State Park

Access: Not open to public
  Excellent view from the beach.

Photographs by Don Tammaro, and from Erie Maritime Museum archives


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