- ** Grand
River (Fairport Harbor) (2)
- 1871 (station established 1825). Inactive since 1925. 69 ft (21
m) unpainted round sandstone tower; original 3rd order Fresnel lens
still mounted in tower. A well-preserved light station with the original
2-story brick keeper's quarters, steel oil house (1904), barn, and
other structures. The 3rd order Fresnel lens is on display in the building. Sibling of the Erie Land Light in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Heather Gibson's 2023 photo is at right, Anderson has a
good page for the station, Michael Miller has a 2021 photo, Doug Kerr has a good 2009 photo, Lighthouse Digest has Tim Harrison's feature on the lights and lost lights of Fairport Harbor, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Local protests
prevented the demolition of the lighthouse when it was replaced by
the breakwater light in 1925. In 1945 the Fairport Harbor Historical
Society was founded specifically to establish a maritime museum in
the old lighthouse. Located at Second and High Streets in Fairport Harbor. Site
open, museum and tower open (small admission fee) in the afternoons
on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays late May through mid
September; group tours available May 1 through November 1. Owner/site manager: Fairport
Harbor Marine Museum
. ARLHS USA-279.
Ashtabula County Lighthouses
- Ashtabula
Harbor (3)
- 1905 (station established 1836). Active; focal plane 51 ft (15.5 m); yellow
flash every 6 s. 40 ft (12 m) round cylindrical tower rising from the center
of the roof of a 2-story square wood keeper's house; building painted white
with a red roof. Original fog signal building attached as an annex. Shaun Richey's 2022 drone view is at the top of this page, Anderson
has photos and the history
of the station, Lightphotos.net has Bash's photo, Alex Vergilis has a 2021 closeup, the Restoration Society posted a good photo, Marinas.com has aerial
photos, the Coast Guard has a historic
photo, Huelse has a historic postcard
view, and Google has a satellite
view. The lighthouse was relocated 1750 ft (533 m) to the end of the breakwater
in 1916; at the same time it was expanded substantially to provide quarters
for the keepers. The previous 2-story wood keeper's
house (1871-1898) on shore is now the Ashtabula
Maritime and Surface Transporation Museum
; a 4th order Fresnel
lens (1896), used here 1959-1995, is on display. Lighthouse Digest
has Jeremy D'Entremont's March 2006 article
on restoration of the Fresnel lens by Jim Woodward. The lighthouse survived
a collision with the Canadian steamer Gleneagles in 1927. The Ashtabula
Lighthouse Restoration and Preservation Society was formed to work for restoration
of the lighthouse. In 2004 the National Park Service recommended transfer
of the lighthouse to the society under the NHLPA and the transfer
was completed in April 2007. In 2018 the lighthouse was repainted and the state granted $280,000 for restoration including replacement of the doors and windows. Work proceeded in several phases, hampered by the Covid crisis, and it was was being completed in the fall of 2021. Located near the end of the west breakwater, which extends 1.3 mi (2.1 km)
into the lake. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed; museum open
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and holiday afternoons Memorial Day through August,
Saturdays and Sundays in September. Owner/site manager: Ashtabula
Lighthouse Restoration Society. . ARLHS USA-020; USCG 7-3745.
|
Grand River Light, Fairport Harbor, February 2023
Google Maps photo
by Heather Gibson |