We the People: The illuminating history of Marblehead Lighthouse, OH

The Marblehead Lighthouse has stood along the shores of Lake Erie for more than two centuries, lighting the way for Great Lakes sailors.

Marblehead, OH - David Zapatka 

Heidi Osborne is the executive director of the Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society.

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Click here to see more of Marblehead on the USLHS Research Catalog

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$400K raised for restoration of Baker Island Lighthouse in Acadia National Park, ME

The Friends of Acadia, a conservation group focused on projects in and around Acadia National Park, has raised around $400,000 for the restoration of Baker Island Lighthouse.

Baker Island, ME - David Zapatka 

The Lighthouse on Baker Island, which is owned by Acadia National Park, has been in disrepair for the last couple of years.

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Click here to see more of Baker Island on the USLHS Research Catalog

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I've visited lighthouses all over Michigan - These are my favorites

My fascination with lighthouses goes back as far as I can remember. The unique architecture and porthole windows, the interesting histories and mysterious lore, the picture-perfect lakeside settings  ... lighthouses never fail to spark my curiosity and inspire me to pull out my camera.

Eagle Harbor, MI - Chad Kaiser 

As a lifelong Michigander, it makes sense that I have a lighthouse affinity. 

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Click here to see more of Michigan's Lighthouses on the USLHS Research Catalog

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What's it like to be a lighthouse keeper in Brown's Point, WA, in 2026? Not like it was.

A 38-foot-tall white tower stands at the end of Browns Point, surveying the blue ocean and panoramic views of the Olympic Mountains.

Browns Point, CA - Laurie Littlefield Wells 

For more than 75 years men tended to the only lighthouse in Pierce County, sounding a horn in dense fog and ensuring a flashing light alerted captains of the shore.

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Click here to see more of Brown's Point on the USLHS Research Catalog

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Stepping back in time with the lighthouse keeper on Goat Island, ME

Just beyond the Cape Porpoise Pier, where lobster boats idle in the harbor and seals surface between mooring buoys, Goat Island seems to slow time, Nick Lewis said.

Goat Island, ME - Jeremy D'Entremont 

A five-minute dinghy ride from shore brings visitors to the small, solar-powered island, where the keeper's quarters, oil house and bunkhouse cluster along a rocky shoreline. At the center stands Goat Island Lighthouse.

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Click here to see more of Goat Island on the USLHS Research Catalog

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In 1980, a New Zealand lighthouse keeper stayed after automation ended his job; he later helped lead a restoration effort that planted 283,000 native trees

Ray Walter arrived on New Zealand's Tiritiri Mattangi Island as a lighthouse keeper in 1980, when the job was already approaching its end.

Tiritri Matangi,, NZ - Avenue 

The country was automating its lighthouses, and in 1984 Walter's position disappeared when the Tiritiri Matangi light was automated.

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Sand Point Lighthouse, MI, A shoreline sentinel of history

More than 150 years after its light first shined across Little Bay de Noc, the Sand Point Lighthouse remains one of Escanaba's most enduring landmarks- a place where stories of tragedy, trailblazing women and community preservation still echo through its walls. 

Sand Point, MI - USLHS archives 

Built in 1867 for $11,000, the lighthouse featured a rectangular brick structure with an attached tower housing a fourth-order Fresnel lens.

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Click here to see more of Sand Point on the USLHS Research Catalog

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Lighthouses worth the visit along the lakeshore

While summer begins to wind down, the lakeshore's lighthouses endure, offering visitors a look at beauty, history, and breathtaking views of Lake Michigan.

White River, MI - Mike & Carol McKinney 

Read on to learn why August offers some of the best opportunities to climb lighthouse towers, explore the surrounding beaches, and create lasting memories at all five Lakeshore Keepers lighthouses along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

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San Francisco's '06 quake played role in construction of the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse, CA

The lumber industry in Mendocino brought hundreds of ships to the coast over the decades, but storms, early navigational equipment, and the rocky north coast were treacherous.

Point Cabrillo, CA - David Zapatka 

Disastrous shipwrecks prompted calls for a lighthouse on the coast to protect ships, cargo and passengers making their way to and from Mendocino and the neighboring areas.

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Click here to see more of Point Cabrillo on the USLHS Research Catalog

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Why lighthouses are underrated settings for horror

It's cold on the sea tonight. In the endless darkness, the rocky shore kicks up salty froth that stings your eyes and makes you shiver.

Hillsboro Inlet, FL - Pompano Beach Historical Society 

You thought you could handle this job. It sounded easy enough. Just flip the light on, sound the horn. Wait. repeat. But no, no, it's much more than that.

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U.S. Lighthouse Society News is produced by the U.S. Lighthouse Society to support lighthouse preservation, history, education and research.

If you have items of interest to the lighthouse community and its supporters, please email them to Ralph Krugler at ralph@uslhs.org 

Submitted by Ralph Krugler on