Thunder Bay Island Light, located on Thunder Bay Island's southeast tip, is one of the oldest operating lighthouses 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.[1] This 40-foot (12 m) 1830s light tower was raised 10 feet (3.0 m)) to a height of 50 feet (15 m) in 1857, and sheathed with brick. A fourth order Fresnel lens was installed.[1] This 1857 light tower is the current Thunder Bay Island Light, although the tower has been further altered and is currently 63 feet (19 m) high.[3]
 Thunder Bay Island Light' undated USCG | |
 | |
| Location | Alpena County, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°02′30″N 83°12′00″W / 45.04167°N 83.20000°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1857 (station established 1831) |
| Foundation | Dressed stone and timber |
| Construction | Limestone |
| Automated | 1983 |
| Height | 63 feet (19 m) |
| Shape | Frustum of a cone with attached keeper's residence |
| Markings | White with red lantern |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place  |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1857 |
| Focal height | 63 feet (19 m) |
| Lens | Fourth-order Fresnel lens[1] |
| Range | 16 |
| Characteristic | FI G 10s |
Thunder Bay Island Light Station | |
| Nearest city | Alpena, Michigan |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1832 |
| MPS | U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 84001371[2] |
| Added to NRHP | July 19, 1984 |
A fog bell was installed in 1858,[1] and the lightkeeper's house was rebuilt in 1868.[1] A steam-powered fog horn was added in 1871, and a fog signal building sheltering the fog signal apparatus was constructed in 1892.[1]
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
editThe Thunder Bay Island Light was automated in 1983. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 19, 1984; however, the lighthouse and adjoining infrastructure resources have deteriorated since automation. In 1997 the United States Coast Guard leased Thunder Bay Island Light to the Thunder Bay Island Preservation Society (TBILPS).[1]
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.[4]
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.[5]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Lighthouses and Life-Saving Stations". Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ D'Entremont, Jeremy Rescuing of the Thunder Bay Beacon. Archived 2011-06-14 at the Wayback Machine Lighthouse Digest.
- ^ Tongue, Steve Lanterns and Lifeboats ($14.95 plus $2.00 shipping & handling to: TBILPS, P.O. Box 212, Alpena MI 49707, Attn: Book Committee.
References
edit- Stephen D. Tongue, "Lanterns & Lifeboats: A History of Thunder Bay Island" (Alpena, Mich.; Serge Publications, 2004).
External links
edit
Media related to Thunder Bay Island Light at Wikimedia Commons
- 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). ISBN 0-9747977-1-5; ISBN 978-0-9747977-1-7.
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Eastern Lower Peninsula". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Thunder Bay Island Light, Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light.
- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Michigan". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.