Beaver Island Harbor Light
Whiskey Point (St. James Harbor, Beaver Island) | |
| |
Location |
Beaver Island St. James, Michigan United States |
---|---|
Coordinates | 45°44′34″N 85°30′31″W / 45.74278°N 85.50861°WCoordinates: 45°44′34″N 85°30′31″W / 45.74278°N 85.50861°W |
Year first constructed |
1856 (original tower) 1870 (current tower) |
Year first lit | 1870 |
Automated | 1927 |
Tower shape | Cylindrical |
Markings / pattern | White (Originally yellow) w/ black lantern |
Height | 41 feet (12 m) |
Focal height | 38 feet (12 m)[1] |
Original lens | Fourth Order Fresnel |
Current lens | Fourth Order Fresnel |
Range | 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) |
Characteristic |
ISO Red 6 seconds Light obscured from 127°30′ to 199°30[2] |
ARLHS number | USA-047 |
USCG number |
7-17845 |
Beaver Island Light Station | |
Nearest city | St. James, Michigan |
Area | 64.2 acres (26.0 ha) |
NRHP Reference # | 78001495[3] |
Added to NRHP | December 29, 1978 |
Beaver Island Harbor Light (or St. James Light) is a lighthouse located in St. James, Michigan, on the northern end of Beaver Island on Lake Michigan. It has also been called "St. James Harbor Light" and "Whiskey Point Light". It is associated with a U.S. Coast Guard station, which was formerly a lifesaving station.[4] The tower is constructed of Cream City Brick.
Whiskey Point was originally named for the 1838 fur trading post that operated on the point, and for the commodity that was the post's chief item of sale. Soon afterward in the 1850s, St. James's Harbor on Beaver Island became established as a safe haven in a storm (an event quite common on Lake Michigan). The light was thus a natural extension of the emergency usage. The original light was constructed in 1856, and the light currently in use was constructed in 1870.[5]
At this time, the harbor is used by the Beaver Island ferry, so the light is still an active aid to navigation.
Notes
- ↑ Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, St. James Harbor Light (Beaver Island)
- ↑ Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
- ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- ↑ History of the Beaver Island (Whiskey Point) Lights by the Beaver Beacon.
- ↑ Terry Pepper. "Seeing the Light - Beaver Island Harbor Lighthouse". Archived from the original on 2 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
References
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Beaver Island Harbor Lighthouse. Retrieved on 2008-04-13.
External links
- Aerial photos, Beaver Harbor Lighthouse, marinas.com.
- Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography for Charlevoix County.
- History of the Beaver Island (Whiskey Point) Lights by the Beaver Beacon.
- Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses. Detroit News.
- Interactive map of Lights in Northern Lake Michigan, mapped by Google.
- Interactive map/list/information of lighthouses in northeastern Lake Michigan by LighthousesRus.
- Lighthouse Central, Photographs, History, Directions and Way points for Beaver Island Harbor Light, The Ultimate Guide to West Michigan Lighthouses by Jerry Roach (Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC - 2005). ISBN 0-9747977-0-7.
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Western Lower Peninsula". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Lighthouse Friends, St. James Harbor Light (Beaver Island.)
- Lighthouses in the Mackinac Straits, Lighthouse Friends.
- Map of Michigan Lighthouses in PDF Format.
- Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, St. James Harbor Light (Beaver Island).
- Michigan lighthouse fund, Beaver Island Harbor Light.
- National Park Service, Inventory of Historic Light Stations, St. James Light at Beaver Harbor.
- Panoramic photo of Harbor, Light and Coast Guard Station, Beaver Island Ferry Co.
- Terry Pepper. "Seeing the Light - Beaver Island Harbor Lighthouse". Archived from the original on 2 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Michigan". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
- Wobser, David, St. James Harbor Light (Beaver Island) at boatnerd.com.
- U.S. Coast Guard Search & Rescue Index