Beaver Island, Michigan, USA (September 2000)
There are a multitude of lighthouses in Lake Michigan within vicinity of Beaver Island. Two of them can be visited on the island itself.
Beaver Island Harbor (St. James) Lighthouse
A lighthouse came into view as the ferry approached Beaver Island. The ferry pointed straight towards St. James, the principal town and commercial hub, straddling the waterfront of a natural harbor along the island’s extreme northeast corner. The lighthouse sat atop Whiskey Point at the entrance to Paradise Bay, the body of water created by this natural harbor (map).
The brick tower went up in 1871, rose 41 feet, and featured a fourth order Fresnel lens. Currently it serves as an active navigational aid with an automated light. Structures where lighthouse keepers once lived had been removed. We visited the grounds although we could not enter the locked tower.
Beaver Head Lighthouse
We made it to the lighthouse built on Beaver Head on the island’s southern end (map). It no longer functioned as a lighthouse, having been replaced by a radio beacon across the road in 1962. Even so, it still served a useful purpose. The Charlevoix Public Schools maintains a residential alternative high school education program at this facility. Students have been instrumental in lighthouse restoration and maintenance.
The lighthouse featured a 46 foot brick tower constructed in 1852, outfitted with a fourth order Fresnel lens. That places Beaver Head Light as the third oldest lighthouse on the Great Lakes. The residential quarters, shown to the left of the tower in this photograph, followed in 1866.
Beaver Head Fog Signal Station
The Beaver Head light had an associated fog signal building built in 1915. Both the grounds and the tower could be visited when we stopped there. Assuming you’ve made it onto Beaver Island successfully, it’s a simple drive down to the light. Much more information can be found on the Beaver Island Light Station website.
Readers who want to see more about Beaver Island can check my Beaver Island Index page, and those with an interest in lighthouses can check my Lighthouse Index page.
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