Manistique East Breakwater Light

The Manistique East Breakwater Light is a lighthouse is located in the harbor of Manistique, Michigan.^[1] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.^[2]

Manistique East Breakwater Light

Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse
Location	Manistique, Michigan
Coordinates	45°56′41.2296″N 86°14′51.5544″W
Tower
Constructed	1916
Foundation	Concrete pier
Construction	Steel
Automated	1969
Height	11 m (36 ft)
Shape	Square pyramidal[1]
Markings	Red with black lantern[1]
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Light
First lit	1916
Focal height	15 m (49 ft)
Lens	Fourth-order Fresnel (original)
Range	10 mn
Characteristic	Iso R 6s
Manistique East Breakwater Light
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Area	less than one acre
Architect	U.S. Lighthouse Service
MPS	Light Stations of the United States MPS
NRHP reference No.	05000980[2]
Added to NRHP	September 6, 2005

History

At the beginning of the 20th century, Manistique was a boom town, with timber and pig iron shipping from the harbor daily.^[3] However, the harbor itself was protected only by timber crib piers originally constructed in the 1870s. However, by 1910, leaders in Manistique managed to convince the Federal government of the financial importance of the harbor, and an Army Corps of Engineers harbor expert was sent to Manistique to draw up plans for a concrete breakwater structure. The contract to construct the breakwaters was awarded to the Greiling Brothers Company, and construction was started in 1910.^[3]

At the same time, George Putnam, the newly appointed Commissioner of lighthouses, recommended the erection of lights on the breakwater.^[3] In 1912, the Lighthouse Service erected temporary range lights on one of the piers. Funding for permanent lights was approved in 1913, and by 1914 permanent lights on the west breakwater were complete. The east breakwater itself was not completed until 1915, at which time work began on the east breakwater light and a station keeper's house at the foot of the breakwater. Construction was completed in August, and the new light was lit on August 17, 1916.^[3]

As the century progressed, Manistique's importance as a port waned. The light was automated in 1969, and the original Fourth Order Fresnel lens was replaced with a 12-inch (300 mm) Tidelands Signal acrylic optic.^[3] In 2000, the Corps of Engineers replaced the concrete breakwater with rip rap.^[1]

In 2012, efforts were made under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 to convey the lighthouse to an eligible entity at no cost. When no such entity assumed stewardship of the lighthouse, it was made available for sale via GSA Auctions. The auction closed July 15, 2013, and the lighthouse was bought by a private individual.^[4]

Description

The Manistique East Breakwater Light is a square-plan tower approximately 38 feet tall on a cast concrete foundation. The tower is made of prefabricated steel plates bolted together and lagged to the foundation. It is surmounted by a square gallery with a decagonal cast iron lantern which contains an electrically powered fixed red Fourth Order Fresnel lens.^[3]

Notes

1. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Michigan". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
3. Terry Pepper (2004-06-20). "Manistique East Breakwater Light". Seeing the Light. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
4. "Manistique East Breakwater, MI". LighthouseFriends.com. Retrieved May 29, 2015.

References

• Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

External links

• Lighthouse Central, Manistique East Breakwater light The Ultimate Guide to Upper Michigan Lighthouses by Jerry Roach. (Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC - 2007). ISBN 978-0-9747977-2-4.