Thanks for a another wonderful season!

The 1905 Keeper's House Museum Built 1905 In service 1905-1970 Location:  4500 East Grand Lake Road,  Presque Isle, Michigan 49777 Information:  989.595.9917 The 1905 House, Briefly The original Keeperʼs House at Presque Isle Light Station, built in 1870, served as home to the Keeper, Assistant(s), their families, and staff required for operation of the steam-driven fog signal. The place must have been really crowded! In 1905 an additional residence was built and occupied first by the principal Keeper and his family, and later by U.S. Coast Guard personnel. In 1970 the New Light was automated, the Coast Guard left, and the 1905 House became a rental unit until 1998, when ownership of the Light Station property was transferred to Presque Isle Township. In 1999 the Presque Isle Township Museum Society began a six-year renovation of the 1905 House. Many hundreds of hours of volunteer labor were needed to restore the building to its original appearance and turn it into a museum of lighthouse life and lore. See our web siteʼs home page for days and hours the museum is open to the public. When You Visit Our 1905 Keeperʼs House Museum sits across the lawn from the 1870 Tower and Keeperʼs Dwelling. From the front porch you will have a striking view of Lake Huron framed by a swath of open land running to the lakeshore. This treeless corridor is visible in old photographs and apparently allowed the Keeper to sit on his porch and log in the vessels transiting this area of Lake Huron. None of the homeʼs original furnishings remain. Keepers owned their furniture and took it with them when they left. However, committed members of the community and the Presque Isle Township Museum Society have donated or loaned many fascinating artifacts, and other items have been purchased. On display is furniture, art, books, china, kitchen equipment, and many other articles typical of the museumʼs 1915 target era. Exhibits are rotated frequently for the benefit of returning visitors. There is no entrance fee. However, donations are always welcome and help maintain the Museum. Please use caution on the concrete steps in front of the 1905 House; they are challenging “antiques” not built to modern architectural standards. A History of the 1905 Keeper's House On April 28, 1904, Congress allocated $5,000 for construction of an additional residence at Presque Isle Light Station. A year later, on April 27, 1905, the Detroitbased USLHT Amaranth, a wooden-hulled, steam-powered, double-screw lighthouse tender operated by the U.S. Lighthouse Service, put into North Bay to off-load construction materials. A contractor named Jerome Louzon was in charge of the project, and used a crew from Alpena. Construction began at mid-summer and was completed in the early fall. The 1905 House is built of cement block. By 1905 Alpena had become a major producer of cement, and the block used here was made by an Alpena company. Interior finish is wet plaster on lath. Floors are birdseye maple, and trim appears to be Douglas fir or a similar wood. By analyzing paint samples, restoration workers were able to match wall colors used in 1905. The original roof was replaced with a metal roof about 1995. In all major respects, including furnishings and decoration, the house looks as it did about 1915. Although originally intended for the Assistant Keeper, by the time the 1905 House was ready for occupancy, it had been designated for use by the principal Keeper and his family. Thomas Garrity, a bachelor, was the first Keeper to reside there. His sister Kathryn lived with him. At his retirement in 1935 Thomas was succeeded by Elmer C. Byrnes and his family, who transferred from Point Iroquois Light Station on Lake Superior, west of Sault Ste. Marie. Modern conveniences were slow in arriving on the Peninsula. At the start, heat was supplied by two fireplaces and a kitchen wood stove on the ground floor, and by small stoves upstairs. In 1911 a boiler and radiators were installed. Nearly three decades later, in 1940, electricity was finally run to the house. That same year indoor plumbing replaced the outdoor privy, and one of the four bedrooms upstairs was converted to a bathroom. Keeper Byrnes witnessed the transition in lighthouse management as the Coast Guard assumed control from the U.S. Lighthouse Service. After Elmerʼs retirement USCG personnel served as keepers. They lived in the dwelling until 1970 when the light was automated and an on-site keeper was no longer needed. For the first time in a century, the Presque Isle Light Station and the 1905 House were Keeper-less! In 1973 the Light Station was leased to Presque Isle Township to serve as a public park. The 1905 House became a rental unit and three different families lived there over the next 25 years. Then, on June 16, 1998, the property was deeded to the Township, again for use as a park. Under this agreement, for-profit use is prohibited. The newly formed Presque Isle Township Museum Society, a not-for-profit historical society, began renovation of the 1905 House in May 1999, and completed the work in July 2005. The Museum soon opened to the public. Repair and maintenance is an ongoing responsibility. During the period 2012-13 the Township — with substantial financial support from the Museum Society — undertook restoration of the front porch, stairs, and railings, all of which were rebuilt according to the original architectural plans. At the same time the 1905 Houseʼs windows were repaired and the exterior of the building was painted. Elmer C. Byrnes, Keeper 1935-1954 Elmer Byrnes, Keeper at the New Light from for 19 years, was a respected member of the Presque Isle community. He was also a colorful figure. A prohibition era photograph in our archives shows the Keeper on his boat, ready to patrol the Huron coastline. As a federal officer, he is armed with a pistol, apparently as protection against bootleggers. Life at Presque Isle could be exciting from time to time! Elmer is also typical of lighthouse keepers throughout the country and across the years — men and women who maintained their aids to navigation by day and night, in fair weather and foul, in sickness and in health, often living in isolation, and sometimes doing their duty at the risk of their lives. By their dedicated service they protected the people who made their living or traveled on the seacoasts, lakes, and rivers of the United States. Their memory burns as brightly as the lights they tended. Elmer C. Byrnes was born July 26, 1887, the son of Patrick and Julie Smith Byrnes. The family of six (Elmer had two sisters and a brother) lived at Copper Harbor, then, as now, a small village at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, which juts out into Lake Superior on Michiganʼs Upper Peninsula. Copper Harbor was, and still is, one of Michiganʼs most isolated communities. Even today, only a handful of people remain in town during the winter. In 1914 Elmer married Jule Georgiana Calverly, an Irish schoolteacher from Calumet, Michigan, another Keweenaw village. A few days after their wedding the couple moved to Point Iroquois Light Station at Brimley, a few miles west of Sault Ste. Marie. Elmer served as First Assistant Keeper until 1917, when at age 30 he was promoted to principal Keeper. During the nearly 21 years they served at Point Iroquois, Jule and Elmer had four children: Betty, Robert, Nan, and Elmer Junior. Sadly, as a teenager Junior was killed in a hunting accident. The family transferred to Presque Isle Light Station on February 3, 1935. Less than a year later, on January 24, 1936, Jule died following a series of strokes, just one month shy of her 49th birthday. She is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Alpena. Elmer subsequently married Flora LaChance, teacher at the schoolhouse formerly located at the intersection of East Grand Lake Road and County Highway 638. Late in life Betty Byrnes Bacon published her fond memories of growing up at Presque Isle Light Station. For example, she noted that the Lantern Room of the New Light, towering more than 100 feet over Lake Huron, was a wonderful place for a teenage couple to “bill and coo” in privacy under a brilliant moon. There was sadness, too. During World War II Robert Byrnes served as a paratrooper in Europe. He was killed in action shortly before the end of the war — the second of Elmerʼs sons to die — and is buried in France. Daughter Betty married Henry Bacon and lived at Fallbrook, California. She died in 1993. Daughter Nan married John Mason and lived at Washington, D.C., until her death in 2004. Elmer Byrnes retired as Keeper of the New Lighthouse in 1954. He died of an intestinal hemorrhage on September 4, 1956, at age 69. Following services at St. Anne Catholic Churchin Alpena, Keeper Byrnes was interred in Bay View Cemetery at Brimley, Michigan, where he began his career as a lighthouse keeper. Keeper Byrnes — or more properly, a wonderfully lifelike effigy — greets visitors to the 1905 House, and sometimes scares the daylights out of impressionable children! His brief recorded commentary provides an orientation to the museum and to lighthouse life illustrated by the scores of articles on display. The Presque Isle Township Museum Society hopes that all lighthouse keepers are honored by this lovingly assembled and faithfully tended exhibition. In 1905... The U.S Flag has 45 stars. Theodore Roosevelt is President. Jan. 25 — The 3,106 caret Cullinan Diamond is found in South Africa. Jan. 31 — At Daytona Beach an automobile first exceeds 100 mph (161 kph). May 15 — The City of Las Vegas is founded. Sep. 27 — Albert Einstein publishes a paper with his E=mc2 equation. Oct. 5 — The Wright Brothers’ third airplane stays in the air for 39 minutes. Dec. 28 — The NCAA is founded. www.presqueislelighthouses.org

A History of the Presque Isle Harbor Range Light

The Presque Isle Harbor Range Light

Built 1870

In service 1871-Present

Location:  East Grand Lake Road north of 638 Highway,  Presque Isle, Michigan 49777

Information:  989.595.9917

The Range Light, Briefly

When the Old (1840) Lighthouse went dark, its function of safely guiding mariners into Presque Isle Harbor was taken over by the Range Light. These two beacons put mariners in the channel leading into the harbor, avoiding the shallows to either side. After more than 140 years the Range Light remains an active aid to navigation. The site is now a park owned and operated by Presque Isle Township.

When You Visit

Range Light Park is located on east Grand Lake Road, two-tenths of a mile north of the intersection with Highway 638. The park is open dawn to dusk throughout the year.

Park your car in the lot across the road from Range Light Park.  At the back of the parking area is the Rear Light atop a tall steel tower.  The old fuel storage building is nearby.  Behind the fence is the old keeper's residence which is now a private home.

Now you can cross E. Grand Lake Road to the Park.  Warning!  This is a 55 mph highway.  Please watch for vehicles as you cross the street. Do not assume that drivers will slow down for the pedestrian crossing.

Close to the road you will find the original 1870 Front Range Light tower, and near it a statue of Anna Garrity who served as Keeper for more than two decades. The burial site of Adeline Sims, wife of Keeper William Sims, is across the service drive.

A short walkway leads to the beach on Presque Isle Bay. This stretch of sandy shoreline, rare on rocky Lake Huron, is a fine place to swim or relax. The harbor view is excellent. Picnic tables, grills, and portable toilets are located nearby. Kindly respect the private properties on either side of the park.

Plans for Range Light Park include construction of a wider walkway and a picnic shelter, both accessible for those with limited mobility.

A History of Range Light Park

After 30 years of service, the Old (1840) Lighthouse at Presque Isle was decommissioned and the New (1870) Light was illuminated at the start of the 1871 shipping season. However, boats still required safe access to the Harbor. The Range Light met this need.

Range lights are paired beacons, one higher than the other, with the two separated by a distance. When aligned vertically, these lights provide a bearing to guide mariners safely through a channel. In other countries these beacons are called “leading lights” because they form a “leading line” (course) for safe passage through shallow or dangerous waters.

In daylight the beacons are supplemented by daymarks — painted panels visible at a distance. Like the lights at night, these panels must be aligned vertically to assure a proper course. The U.S. Coast Guard uses twelve patterns for daymarks. Presque Isleʼs daymark pattern, designated KRW, has three vertical stripes, two red-orange with a white stripe between.

In June 1869, for a sum of $100, Fredrick Burnham sold 8.5 acres on Presque Isle Harbor to the United States Government to serve as the site for a range light. The original structures were constructed the following year. This installation consisted of a short wooden tower housing the Front Light, and in the Keeperʼs Dwelling a third floor room with a large window for display of the Rear Light.

On September 8, 1870, Isaac Codington was named first Keeper of the Range Light with an annual salary of $540. He supervised construction and served until his death five years later. William Sims, his assistant, took over and, in 1887, was followed by Thomas Garrity. Thomas was son of Patrick Garrity Sr., Keeper at the New Light. In 1891 Patrick Sr. became Range Light Keeper and Thomas transferred to the New Light. Patrick was followed in 1903 by his daughter, Anna Garrity. Anna, who served for 23 years, is one of just 27 female lighthouse keepers to serve on the Great Lakes. In turn she was followed by Vincent Newagon, Clement Richardson, and Gustav Hansen during the period 1923-39. Records are unclear, but it seems likely that USCG personnel tended the Range Light after 1939.

In 1967 the Front Range Light was replaced with a new tower. The original wooden structure was moved to the entrance to the Old Lighthouse Park. Several years later it was moved back to Range Light Park, placed near the road, and renovated. A tall steel tower replaced the Rear Range Light, and the former Keeperʼs Dwelling became a private home. Both the Front and Rear Lights remain under supervision of the Coast Guard.

The second Keeper (1875-87) was Capt. William Sims. His wife Adeline died during his tenure and was buried on the Range Light property. Her marker includes a Masonic emblem. Relatives of William and Adeline Sims live in the Presque Isle area and continue to tend the grave.

www.presqueislelighthouses.org

A History of The New Presque Isle Lighthouse

The New Presque Isle Lighthouse Built 1870 In service 1871-Present Location:  4500 East Grand Lake Road,  Presque Isle, Michigan 49777 Information:  989.595.9917 The New Lighthouse, Briefly   By 1868 the Keeper’s House for the lighthouse at Presque Isle Harbor was in such dire need of  repair that plans for renovation were drawn up. The estimated cost was $7,500. But these plans  were shelved. Instead, the U.S. Lighthouse Service decided to build a new light at the tip of  Presque Isle Peninsula. In July 1870 Congress appropriated an additional $28,000 which, with  the $7,500 already earmarked, was sufficient to cover the cost of this $35,500 project.   Construction of the tower and keeper’s house was completed in time for the New Light to go into  service for the 1871 shipping season. More than 140 years later the New Lighthouse remains an  active aid to navigation.   This 113-foot-tall lighthouse has a diameter of 19 feet 3 inches at ground level and 12 feet 4  inches at the parapet. The lighthouse was designed by Army Engineer Orlando M. Poe. This  lighthouse became the model for seven other “Poe Lights” on the Great Lakes (ours is the only  one on Lake Huron). His signature is seen in the four windows evenly spaced below the lantern  room, and in the handsome and functional wrought iron brackets supporting the gallery.   A Third Order Fresnel Lens surmounted the tower for over 130 years and could be seen more  than 25 miles out in Lake Huron. The restored lens is now on exhibit in the original (1870)  Keeper’s House.   Installation of a steam-operated fog horn in 1890 increased the number of people working at the  Light Station. To house additional personnel, a second, detached Keeper’s House was built in  1905 close by the tower. It now serves as a museum.   When You Visit   When you visit, you will find the Presque Isle Light Station situated at the north end of Presque  Isle Peninsula, one mile beyond the Harbor and its Old Lighthouse. This 99-acre facility is  owned by Presque Isle Township and operated as a park and museum by the Presque Isle  Township Museum Society, a private, non-profit historical society.   Presque Isle’s New Light is open to the public from spring until fall. See our Home Page for  days and hours of operation. Weather permitting, adults and children 42 inches or taller in height  may climb the tower. Children under age 12 must be accompanied by an adult, and must meet  the 42-inch height requirement. Revenue from tower climbs and operation of the Gift Shop is  used to maintain the Lighthouses at Presque Isle and is greatly appreciated. Please note that ours  is the tallest lighthouse on the Great Lakes which can be climbed by the public.   The view from the tower is spectacular. On a clear day you can see northeast across Lake Huron  to Great Duck Island, which sits off Manitoulin Island which, in turn, forms the north side of  Canada’s Georgian Bay. To the south you can see the limestone quarry beyond Lake Esau and  the Rockport docks where massive lake freighters put in to be loaded. To the west you can see  deep into Presque Isle County.   The original (1870) Keeper’s House now serves as a visitor center, museum, and Gift Shop.  Access to the tower is through the Gift Shop. A special attraction here is the Third Order Fresnel  (pronounced fra-NELL) Lens. This lens was removed from the tower in 2003, held in storage for  nearly a decade, and then restored and put on display in 2012. It is truly an engineering marvel!   The new Keeper’s House, built in 1905, sits nearby and is operated as a museum. Skillfully  restored in the 1990s by volunteers of the Presque Isle Township Museum Society, the 1905  House preserves the original interior finish — including, for example, floors of birds-eye maple!  — and is decorated with artifacts dating to about 1915. By touring the 1905 House you can  better see how the Keeper lived.  Greeters are available to explain the home’s history, renovation,  and furnishings.   Garrity Hall, named for first Keeper Patrick Garrity and his family, is used for township events.  At the north end of the peninsula, where the fog horn was once located, you will find a large  picnic shelter which affords an excellent view of Lake Huron. Another side road from the  lighthouse leads to North Bay, the body of water just across the Portage. This is an especially  good place to watch the sunset.   A History of the 1870 Lighthouse   In the years after the Civil War commercial traffic on Lake Huron and the other upper Great  Lakes increased exponentially. The safety of both crew and cargo on vessels plying the lakes  made improved aids to navigation a priority. This trend, plus deterioration of the lighthouse  facility at the Harbor, led to a decision to build a new coastal lighthouse at the north end of  Presque Isle Peninsula.   In July 1870 Brig. Gen. Orlando Metcalfe Poe outlined plans for Presque Isle’s new lighthouse.  Few men have had greater impact on the Great Lakes. A West Point graduate, Poe became  topographical engineer for the survey of the Upper Great Lakes. Early in the Civil War, after  helping Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan organize the defense of Washington, D.C., Poe was  given command of the 2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry. In 1863 he was instrumental in  defending Knoxville, Tennessee, against a Confederate siege. The following year Gen. William  T. Sherman selected Poe as his chief engineer. He served in this position during Sherman’s  March to the Sea.   In 1865 he was appointed chief engineer of the U.S. Lighthouse Board, and in 1870 he was made  Chief Engineer of the 11th Lighthouse District (Upper Great Lakes). In this role he designed  eight “Poe Style” lighthouses, of which the New Lighthouse at Presque Isle is the first. In 1883  he served as Superintending Engineer for the improvement of harbors and waterways on Lakes  Huron and Superior. In this capacity he assisted in development of the St. Marys Falls Canal  and, in what would be his greatest achievement, he designed and built the first Poe Lock as part  of the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie. This engineering feat allowed access to the Upper Great  Lakes by steel-hulled freighters and, in turn, made possible America’s modern steel industry.   With respect to Presque Isle, in July 1870 Gen. Poe outlined plans for Presque Isle’s new  lighthouse. He provided an estimate “...amounting to $35,494.52 for lighthouse and keepers  dwelling [at Presque Isle]... Previously an appropriation for re-building the keepers dwelling [at  the 1840 site] amounted to $7,500 — out of that appropriation, the brick required for the new  structure, has been purchased and delivered upon the ground... Additional appropriation for this  project is now pending before Congress amounting to $28,000.00  + 7,500.00 =  $35,500.00   “The estimate submitted covers the cost of the building, but not the Fresnel lens,” Poe concluded.   Congress acted that same month, allocating the additional $28,000 to construct the New Light.  Poe quickly requested “The Steam Barge Mannington to tow 2 scows to bring everything  requested for construction.” The work moved forward at a brisk pace, and the new light was lit  at the start of the 1871 shipping season. Moreover, the project came in under budget. On August  21, 1871, Poe returned $700.35, the unexpended balance of the congressional appropriation.   Poe’s design is practical, durable, and uncommonly graceful. The New Light rises 113 feet from  the base to the ventilator ball atop the Lantern Room. The tower sits on a limestone foundation 9  feet 8 inches below ground level. The conical structure is 19 feet 3 inches in diameter at the  bottom, and 12 feet 4 inches in diameter at the parapet. This is a double-walled tower. At the  base there is an outer wall 24 inches thick, a 31-inch air space, and an inner wall 8 inches thick.  At the parapet the outer wall is 16 inches thick, the inner wall is 8 inches thick, and the two are  separated by a 4-inch air space.   The wall is surmounted by a round iron watch room and a ten-sided cast iron lantern room. Here  the Third Order Fresnel Lens was located, providing a focal plane of 123 feet above the mean  low water level of Lake Huron. Its light could be seen up to 25 miles out in Lake Huron. The  tower has eight windows. Four of these windows, pleasingly arched and evenly spaced  immediately below the lantern room, are an element common to all the lighthouses which copied  Poe’s Presque Isle design. A second common trait are the handsome but functional wrought iron  brackets (corbels) which support the gallery and catwalk.   There are eight Poe lights. Presque Isle (1870) was the first built and the only one on Lake  Huron. Lake Michigan boasts five — Michigan’s 104-foot South Manitou Island Light (1871),  Michigan’s 107-foot Little Sable Light (1874), Illinois’ 113-foot Grosse Point Light (also built in  1874), Wisconsin’s 108-foot Wind Point Light (1880), and Michigan’s 78-foot Seul Choix Light  (1895). The two remaining Poe lights are on Lake Superior. The 87-foot Au Sable Light (1874)  is situated in Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, while the 86-foot Outer Island  Light (also built in 1874) is located in Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.   Those who wish to climb the tower may do so, weather permitting. It’s quite an adventure. The  spiral iron stairway with pipe railing includes 138 steps. This is the tallest lighthouse on the  Great Lakes which is open for the public to climb. The New Light is the place to earn your “I  climbed...” t-shirt!   A two-story Keeper’s House, vintage 1870, is attached to the tower by a 16-foot enclosed  walkway. Measuring 24x28 feet, this structure housed all lighthouse personnel, including  families with children, for 34 years. Overcrowding led to construction of the 1905 Keeper’s  House. During the period from 1940-52 both dwellings were modernized with the addition of  electrical service and indoor plumbing.   The original Keeper’s House is now home to our Gift Shop and provides access to the tower. It  also furnishes display space for the Fresnel Lens. Invented in France by Augustin Jean Fresnel  (pronounced fra-NELL), these lenses were used in the U.S. starting in the 1840s. The  “order” (first through sixth) describes the power of the lens. The New Light’s Third Order lens  was removed from the tower in 2003, kept in storage for nearly a decade, and then renovated and  placed on display in 2012. It is a wonder to behold!   At the beginning, an oil-fired lamp supplied the light at the top of the tower. The keeper had to  carry oil up the stairs each day, and trim the lamp’s wick. (Lighthouse keepers were known as  “Wickies”.) In 1871 a brick oil house was built to maintain the Station’s fuel supply. It was  demolished in 1961. In 1898 an existing tramway was extended 120 feet to the boat landing on  the Peninsula’s point. Used to move supplies from shore to storage, this little “railroad” was  rebuilt in 1900 and remained in service until replaced with driveways in the late 1930s. A cistern  house, which supplied water to the buildings, was built in 1898 and demolished 60 years later in  1958.   In 1890 a steam-operated fog signal, manufactured by Variety Iron Works of Cleveland, Ohio,  was installed on the Peninsula’s point, where the picnic pavilion now stands. This fog horn  required wood for fuel, and additional personnel to supply firewood and tend the boiler. About  1903 an Assistant Keeper was hired, mainly because of the fog signal, at a cost of $5,000 per  year. Use of the signal was eventually discontinued. In 1968 the building housing the horn was  demolished and, most unfortunately, the horn was stolen.   In 1960 a five-bay garage with workshop and office was built to replace a small log barn dating  to 1870. This eventually became Garrity Hall. Named for Presque Isle’s legendary Keeper, the  Hall contains a meeting room, kitchen, bathrooms and storage. It is used primarily for Township  events and a place to greet groups touring The Lighthouses at Presque Isle.   When electrical lights replaced oil-fired lamps, and the fog signal was decommissioned, the  number of personnel manning the Presque Isle Light Station was greatly reduced. Keepers now  lived in the 1905 House. In 1939 the U.S. Coast Guard took over operation of the New Light  and the Station became a USCG facility. Elmer C. Byrnes was the Keeper (1935-54) who made  the transition from a civilian lighthouse service to the Coast Guard. After his retirement, USCG  personnel served as keepers and maintained the 1905 House as their barracks. That meant lots of  paint!   The Coast Guard automated the New Lighthouse in 1970 and thus eliminated the need for on-site  keepers; periodic inspection was deemed sufficient, and continues to the present day. Three  years later the grounds and structures were leased to Presque Isle Township for use as a park, and  soon thereafter the Presque Isle Township Museum Society was organized to transform the 1905  Keeper’s House into a working museum.   The tower brickwork was restored in 1988-89 at a cost of $99,000. On July 6, 1991 a State  Historical Marker for the Presque Isle Light Station was formally dedicated (No. L1563). On  June 16, 1998, the Light Station’s 99-acre parcel and structures were conveyed to Presque Isle  Township for use as a park. The USCG continues to own the Fresnel Lens. In 1870... The U.S. Flag has 37 stars. Ulysses S. Grant is President. Jan. 3 — Construction begins on the Brooklyn Bridge. Jan. 25 — Gustavus Dows patents the first soda fountain. Feb. 5 — The first motion picture is shown in a Philadelphia theater. Mar. 30 — The 15th Amendment, guaranteeing African-Americans the right to vote, becomes law. April 2 — Victoria Woodhull is the first woman nominated for President. Jun. 26 — Christmas is declared a federal holiday. Sep. 18 — Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Geyser is named by Henry D. Washburn. Oct. 21 — Postcards are first used in the U.S. Nov. 27 — A New York Times story christens baseball “The National Game.” www.presqueislelighthouses.org

A New History of Presque Isle County's Shoreline Communities

A New History of Presque Isle County's Shoreline Communities

Years of research on the history of Presque Isle County has culminated in publication of Almost an Island: Early Histories of the Shoreline Settlements in Presque Isle County, by Gerald Micketti and Mark Thompson.  Mark is Executive Director and Curator of the Presque Isle County Historical Museum, and Jerry is the author of three book's in the Museum's Local History Book Series.   Published just this spring, this richly illustrated volume provides information on the communities of Presque Isle, Bell, Thompson's Harbor, Crawford's Quarry, Rogers City, Spensville, Hammond, and Grace.  Along the way the authors add new information, and sometimes totally revise, the "conventional wisdom" about certain people and events in the history of this area.  It's a great read!

Get your copy at the New Lighthouse Gift Shop!

www.presqueislelighthouses.org

The Old Presque Isle Lighthouse - A Brief History

The Old Presque Isle Lighthouse Built 1840 In service 1840-1870 Location:  5295 East Grand Lake Road  Presque Isle, Michigan 49777 Information:  989.595.9917  The Old Lighthouse, Briefly  The Old Lighthouse at Presque Isle, Michigan, was built to mark the entrance to Presque Isle  Bay and its Harbor. During the quarter-century after the War of 1812, increasing ship traffic to  and past Presque Isle led Congress in 1838 to appropriate funds for a lighthouse. It was built two  years later and today is one of the oldest surviving lights on the Great Lakes.  The Old Light’s tower — 30 feet tall and 18 feet in diameter at the base — consists of a conical  section (the bottom two-thirds) made of stone, with a round brick section above. The deck is  made of soapstone with leaded mortar. The original lantern room and light apparatus no longer  exist. A new lantern room was built in the 1960s to house a Fresnel lens acquired from another  lighthouse. By the late 1930s the two-story Keeper’s House, also built in 1840, was structurally  unsound and had to be replaced. A new building, consisting of one story with a loft, was erected  on the original foundation. The Old Light is located just north of the State Harbor, which is considered one of the best  harbors of refuge on Lake Huron. This facility is owned by Presque Isle Township and operated  as a park and museum by the Presque Isle Township Museum Society. Visitors may climb the  tower for a modest fee. Please note that tower climb income helps maintain the facility and is  greatly appreciated. See our Home Page for days and hours when the Old Light is open to  visitors.  Oh, yes — there are persistent rumors that the Old Lighthouse is haunted. We place no great  stock in these tales. However, many people say that curious things happen at the Old Light...   When You Visit  When you visit, you will find Presque Isle’s Old Lighthouse (1840) sitting on the north arm of  Presque Isle Bay, opposite Crystal Point, the Bay’s south arm. The Bay — with its harbor of  refuge and marina, operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources — is located at  the south end of Presque Isle Peninsula, at the place called The Portage. Native American, and in  time European, travelers used this little neck of land to avoid paddling around the peninsula.  Patrick Garrity Sr, Presque Isle’s longest-serving lighthouse keeper, greets you as you enter. In  August 2012 Presque Isle Township dedicated a statue of Patrick, Keeper of the Old Light from  1861-70, and then of the New Light from 1870-1903. His wife and four of their children also  served as lighthouse keepers. According to Coast Guard records, the Garrity family’s years of  service, taken together, make them the second longest serving keeper family in U.S. history.  Patrick’s statue — created in high carbon steel at Moran Iron Works in Onaway, Michigan, by  sculptor Dawn Barr of Cheboygan — honors not only Patrick’s service, but also the dedication  of all Great Lakes lighthouse keepers.  The lighthouse sits near the water with its detached Keeper’s House directly behind. You may  climb the tower, weather permitting. A circular staircase of well worn stone takes you up to the  lantern room where a Fourth Order Fresnel Lens is in place. This perch affords a lovely view of  Presque Isle Bay, the Harbor, North Bay, and Huron’s rocky shoreline.  Close by the lighthouse tower is the bell which once hung in the clock tower of Old City Hall at  Lansing, Michigan’s capital. When the hall was demolished, Francis Stebbins acquired this  piece of Michigan history and brought it to the Sunrise Shore. The bell weighs 3,425 pounds,  making it considerably larger than Philadelphia’s 2,080 pound Liberty Bell. You may ring the  bell, which can be heard at quite a distance. Nearby, a set of stocks— the kind used for  punishment, not investment! — offers an unusual here’s-what-I-did-last-summer “photo op.”  The Keeper’s House serves as a visitor center, museum, and gift shop. The docent on duty will  be happy to discuss the park’s history, and to point out the many artifacts on display. The exhibit  is changed periodically for the benefit of repeat visitors. Prominent among these artifacts are  photographs of the Old Lighthouse and its Keeper’s House from the 1930s when the property  was more or less a wreck.  The Old Lighthouse Park is a splendid spot for a picnic lunch or an hour with a good book. On  sunny days you can sit next to the tower and watch freighters making their way up- or downlake.  These boats will be headed for the limestone quarry just south of the Harbor, or the quarry  at Rogers City (the world’s largest), or cities from Chicago to Duluth. •••  A History of the 1840 Lighthouse  On July 5, 1838, the year after Michigan gained statehood, Congress appropriated $5,000 for  construction of a lighthouse at Presque Isle. An advertisement inviting proposals for this project  ran in the Detroit newspapers on July 10, 1839. Sixteen days later Abraham Wendell, U.S.  Superintendent of Lighthouses for this district, and Jeremiah Moors, a Detroit architect and  builder, signed an agreement to “build and complete in all respects agreeable to the specifications  [for a lighthouse] contained in said advertisement for proposals for the sum of $5,000.00.”  In the late summer of 1839 A.E. Hathon surveyed the Lighthouse Reservation at Presque Isle.  Later surveys would show that the point opposite the lighthouse property, now called Crystal  Point, was the center of harbor activity during this period. On September 4, 1840, John Scott  certified that construction of the lighthouse had been completed according to contract. On  September 23 Henry Woolsey was appointed first Keeper, with his annual salary set at $350.  Woolsey served until his death sometime in 1847. He was succeeded by George Murray  (1847-48), Stephen V. Thornton (1848-53), and Louis J. Metivier (1853-61). On July 15, 1861,  upon being commissioned by President Abraham Lincoln, Patrick Garrity Sr. took up his duties,  becoming the Old Light’s fifth and last Keeper.  By 1868, less than 30 years after construction, the original Keeper’s House was rapidly  deteriorating. Plans to renovate the dwelling and attach it to the tower were drawn up. It is  possible that the $7,500 price tag for this project helped trigger reassessment of the Light’s  suitability as an aid to navigation. In July 1870 Congress appropriated an additional $28,000 for  construction of a new, taller lighthouse at the north end of Presque Isle Peninsula.  In February 1871 notice was given to mariners that the new Presque Isle Lighthouse would go  into service for that year’s shipping season. Patrick Garrity Sr. and his family moved up the road  to the New Light, where he would serve for an additional 30 years. Mary, Patrick’s wife, served  as Assistant Keeper, and in time four of their children also took up the profession.  With the 1840 Light extinguished, a Range Light was constructed in 1870 to safely guide  mariners into Presque Isle Harbor. In 1903 Anna Garrity, daughter of Mary and Patrick, would  become Keeper of the Range Light at Presque Isle Harbor, making her one of a small, select group of female keepers on the  Great Lakes.  A statue of Anna has been erected at the Range Light to honor her service.   After being decommissioned, the Old Lighthouse seems to have languished in disuse for over a  quarter century. In 1897 it was sold to E.O. Avery, the highest bidder. Later it was owned briefly  by General Duffield, and then sold to Bliss Stebbins. In 1930 Bliss Stebbins sold the property to  Francis B. Stebbins. In the late 1930s Francis demolished the original Keeper’s House and built  a new dwelling on the original foundation. At his death in 1969 the property was inherited by his son James Stebbins.  Over the years the original lantern room was dismantled or destroyed. In photos from that time  the tower looks like the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow fame! As the U.S. Coast Guard  automated its lighthouses, many unwanted lenses were either destroyed or sold. In 1961 Francis  Stebbins purchased a surplus Fourth Order Fresnel lens, most likely from the South Fox Island  Lighthouse on Lake Michigan. To house this artifact he commissioned Fred May, a Grand Lake  resident, to construct a new lantern room. This structure was hoisted into place atop the 1840  tower and the horseman was no longer headless!  On November 14, 1964, the Old Light was listed on the Michigan Register of Historic Places,  and a state historical marker was dedicated on June 19, 1965 (Site No. P24577). On April 11,  1973, the 1840 Lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Ref. No.  73000957). In 1995, with funding provided by the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and  several private donors, the property was purchased by Presque Isle Township for use as a park  and museum.  The non-profit Presque Isle Township Museum Society operates the Old Lighthouse on behalf of the Township. In 1840... The U.S. Flag has 26 Stars. Martin Van Buren is President. Jan. 4 — Stevens T. Mason — Michigan’s “Boy Governor” elected in 1835 at age 23 — leaves office. Jan. 19 — U.S. Naval officer and explorer Charles Wilkes discovers Antarctica. Feb. 10 — Queen Victoria of England marries Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg-Gothe. Jun. 20 — Samuel Morse patents his telegraph. Summer of 1840 — Douglass Houghton, Michigan geologist, finds copper in the Keweenaw Peninsula and sets off the first great mining boom in U.S. history. www.presqueislelighthouses.org