- Grays
Reef
- 1937 (lightship station established 1891). Active; focal plane 82 ft (25 m); red flash every 10 s. 65
ft (20 m) octagonal cylindrical Art Deco steel tower on square concrete
keeper's house, mounted on concrete and stone crib; solar-powered
190 mm lens. The tower is surmounted by a tall antenna. Lighthouse
painted white, lantern black. Fog horn (2 blasts every 30 s) as needed.
The original 3-1/2 order Fresnel
lens is on display at the Harsha House Museum in Charlevoix. Sibling of the Minneapolis Shoal Light
(see Southern Upper Peninsula). A 2025 photo is at right, Pepper has a page for the lighthouse, Brandon Rose has a 2020 photo, Marinas.com has aerial
photos, and the Coast Guard has a 1948
photo, but the lighthouse appears only as a smudge in Bing's satellite view. This light marks the south end of the Grays Reef Channel, a narrow passage through an underwater ridge extending from Waugoschance Point to the Beaver Islands. In 2013 the lighthouse became available for transfer under NHLPA. Since no eligible organizations applied for ownership, the lighthouse was placed at auction in July 2016; it sold in October for $52,777 to Boston philanthropist Bobby Sager, who also owns the Minots Ledge Lighthouse in Massachusetts and the Boon Island Lighthouse in Maine. Located 4 miles (6.5 km) west southwest of Waugoshance
Island. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site
manager: private.
. ARLHS USA-343; USCG 7-17775.
- White
Shoal
- 1910 (lightship station established 1891). Active; focal plane 125 ft (38 m); white flash every 4 s.
121 ft (37 m) round steel and terra cotta block tower (brick lined),
incorporating keeper's house, mounted on a timber and concrete crib;
190 mm lens. The tower is painted with distinctive red and white stripes
in a "candy-stripe" spiral pattern (it is the only U.S. lighthouse
with this daymark); the lantern and gallery are red. Fog horn (blast
every 30 s) as needed. The original bivalve 2nd order Fresnel
lens, removed in 1897, is on display at the Great
Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point on the Upper
Peninsula. A 2025 photo is at right, Jade Sauve has a 2017 photo, Bash has 2007 photo taken on a GLLKA-sponsored lighthouse
cruise, Pepper has a good page for the lighthouse,
and Marinas.com has aerial
photos, but the lighthouse appears only as a smudge in Bing's satellite view. The Coast Guard has a historic
photo of the lighthouse nearing completion. This light marks the north end of the Grays Reef Channel, where ships must make a right-angle turn. The distinctive red and white daymark was applied in 1954. In May 2014 the lighthouse became available for transfer under NHLPA. Since no eligible organizations applied for ownership, the lighthouse was placed at auction in July 2016; it sold in September for $110,009. The new owners, Brent Tompkins and Mike Lynch, launched the White Shoal Light Historical Preservation Society and announced their plans to restore the lighthouse for overnight accommodations and public tours. They estimate the restoration will require five years and about $3 million. On New Years Day 2019 they announced that the partially-restored lighthouse would open to public tours starting in July. Tours have been suspended for 2022-23 to allow for more extensive restoration work, but they resumed in July 2024. In 2025 volunteers staffed the lighthouse in one-week assignments during the May through September season. Located
2.6 miles (4.2 km) northwest of Waugoshance Island. Site open, tower
closed. Owner/site manager: White Shoal Light Historical Preservation Society
. ARLHS USA-886; USCG
7-17750.
- Waugoshance
- 1851. Inactive since 1912 but charted as a landmark. 76 ft (23 m) ruined round brick tower, formerly
encased in iron, mounted on a stone crib. Very rare original "birdcage" lantern.
A closeup 2023 photo by J. Morris shows the current state of the lighthouse, a good 2007 photo is available, Pepper has a page for the lighthouse, and Marinas.com has aerial
photos, but the lighthouse appears only as a smudge in Bing's satellite view of the area. The National Archives has a 1913 photo of the complete station. This lighthouse is too far east to be an effective marker for the Grays Reef Channel so it was abandoned after it was replaced by the White Shoal Light. Previously used for bombing and strafing practice, the lighthouse
is gravely endangered and deteriorating; it is a longtime resident on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. The Waugoshance
Lighthouse Preservation Society began working on the preservation
of the lighthouse.
The Coast Guard authorized fundraising to stabilize the building and the Society was negotiating
a lease on the light station. In 2009 the lighthouse became available for
transfer under NHLPA, and in October 2011 ownership was awarded to the preservation society.
In September 2012 the society announced that it had arranged funding for the historic structures report needed before restoration can begin. However, in 2019 storms and high lake levels damaged the foundation of the lighthouse, raising fears for its survival. In 2020 the Society concluded the lighthouse could not be saved, and at the end of year the organization was dissolved. Located about 2 miles (3 km) northwest of Waugoshance Island. Accessible only
by boat in dangerous waters. Site and tower closed.
. ARLHS USA-874.
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Grays ReefLight, Lake Michigan, August 2025
Instagram photo by Lighthouse Buffs

White Shoal Light, Lake Michigan, October 2025
Facebook photo
by White Shoal Light Historical Preservation Society
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