![]() Tawas Point Lighthouse (Volunteer Keeper) – From May to October each year, one of Michigan’s most recognizable Lake Huron beacons hosts a volunteer keeper program. Keepers sign up for tours of a week or two weeks, and have several responsibilities while staying at the lighthouse. The SPLKA is ready for those that make the trip, offering lighthouse tours and tower climbs thanks to a volunteer keeper program. īig Sable Point Lighthouse (Volunteer Keeper) – The Big Sable Point Lighthouse in Ludington State Park is reached after hiking almost two miles, yet thousands make the trip to it each summer. The keeper’s quarters sleep up to six people, and offer unlimited tours of the lighthouse, beach access, and stunning sunsets on Lake Michigan. Point Betsie Lighthouse (Keepers’ Quarters) – One of the state’s most photographed locations, Point Betsie Lighthouse is located near the Sleeping Bear Dunes and offers weekly rentals of its keeper’s quarters. For more information on room rentals and rates, head to. Located 24 miles north of Marquette, Big Bay offers peace and quiet or the chance for various types of outdoor recreation. This majestic brick building has a 64 foot tall tower rising above the attached dwelling, which is now available to guests as a bed and breakfast. CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONSīig Bay Point Lighthouse (Bed and Breakfast) – Located on a cliff overlooking Lake Superior, the Big Bay Point Lighthouse entered service in 1896. To find out more about reservations for the 2020 season and beyond, head to. After its active years it was used as a Coast Guard training facility during World War II. This lighthouse has a very unique design and was constructed in 1919 to help warn of a nearby reef. Sand Hills Lighthouse (Bed and Breakfast) – After years of operation as a bed and breakfast, the Sand Hills Lighthouse is under new ownership and taking a year off while renovations are completed. Look for links to reservation information in each paragraph. Michigan Lighthouses You Can Stay In or At includes locations on Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and more. This is by no means a fully comprehensive list, but we’ve included all the lighthouses we know of that currently offer lodging (but excluding several that offer volunteer opportunities at the lighthouse and lodging off-site). Keeper Programs often include leading tours, selling merchandise, grounds maintenance, and other light cleaning duties – a peek into the past and what was expected of lighthouse keepers. While some of the beacons on this list are privately owned and operated as either a bed and breakfast or vacation rental, others are found in state parks and other locations offering on-site keeper programs. Vacationers hoping to experience a taste of what life was like at a lighthouse will find Michigan has many options, with close to 20 lighthouses that currently offer some kind of overnight accommodations. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources took over the Tawas Point Lighthouse and property from the federal government and began rehabilitation work and interpretive programming in 2001, creating public spaces that would share the history of the lighthouse with its thousands of annual visitors.Lighthouses continue to fascinate people around the world, even decades after stations were manned by keepers. Coast Guard took up residence in his place.īy 1991, the Coast Guard had stopped lodging keepers at the lighthouse but continued to maintain the light and own the structures and property. With the light fully automated in 1953, the last lightkeeper from the U.S. Tawas Point Lighthouse was converted to electrical power in 1935. Transitioning to Automation: The End of an Era at Tawas Point Lighthouse 1, 1891, light from a new and larger fourth-order Fresnel lens pierced the night sky. This new beacon was so close to the water that the keeper could land a boat almost at his doorstep. The new lighthouse and its keeper’s dwelling were located at the very tip of the newly formed point of land. Now powered by a single kerosene lamp, the fifth-order Fresnel lens shot a beam of light through the darkness that could be seen for 16 miles. A Beacon of Light: The Impact of the Fresnel Lens ![]() When Tawas Point Lighthouse was completed in 1876, the lighthouse keeper could dock a boat almost at his front door. A government expenditure of $30,000 allowed for the completion of a new lighthouse, which opened for the first day of navigation on May 2, 1877. In less than a quarter century, wind and wave action would again move nearly a mile of sand, creating the need for a new lighthouse. Tawas Bay: The Nautical Challenge of Lake Huron Photo credit: Ana Eastlick, 2020 Michigan State Parks photo ambassador. This photo is part of the DNR Park’s Ambassador program.
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