Muskegon Breakwater Light

The Muskegon Breakwater Light or South Breakwater Light is a light located on the end of the south arm of the Muskegon breakwater surrounding the mouth of the Muskegon channel in Muskegon, Michigan.

Muskegon Breakwater Light

Muskegon Breakwater Lighthouse
Location	Muskegon, Michigan
Coordinates	43°13′26.5375″N 86°20′48.5452″W[1]
Tower
Constructed	1930
Foundation	square steel equipment room
Construction	steel
Height	53 feet (16 m)
Shape	square pyramidal
Markings	red
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Fog signal	Horn: 2 blasts ev 20s[1]
Light
First lit	1930
Focal height	70 feet (21 m)[2]
Range	8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi)[1]
Characteristic	red light, 3s on, 3s off
Muskegon South Breakwater Light
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Architect	Office of Engineer, 12th Dist.; U.S. Lighthouse Establishment
MPS	Light Stations of the United States MPS
NRHP reference No.	06001026[3]
Added to NRHP	November 15, 2006

The site is accessible by walking the breakwater. As of Summer, 2015, the light is available to the public for tours.

History

The first lighthouse located in Muskegon was constructed in 1851 atop a wooden tower on land. In 1871, a steel tower was constructed at the end of the breakwater and the main light was rebuilt.^[4] In 1928, a new caisson was placed at the end of the south breakwater to support a new light. In 1929 the superstructure for this light was constructed, and it was lit the next year. New navigational equipment was added in 1939.^[5]

In 2008 the light became available for transfer under NHLPA, and in June 2010 ownership was transferred to the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy. The lights and buoys of Muskegon Harbor are maintained by the US Coast Guard Station housed in the lighthouse 3/8 of a mile away, at the mouth of the Muskegon Channel. The light has been in service since 1879.^[5]

Description

The Muskegon Breakwater Light is a square pyramidal steel tower mounted on a square steel equipment room. The entire structure is painted red.^[2]

See also

• Muskegon Pier Light
• SS Henry Cort, ran aground off the breakwater in 1934

References

1. Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2010. p. 174.
2. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Western Lower Peninsula". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
4. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Michigan". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Listed under "Muskegon South Breakwater Light".
5. Jeff Shook, A History of the Muskegon Lighthouses, Muskegon Lighthouse Conservancy

External links

• Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy