The Grand River (Fairport Harbor) Light is located in the village of Fairport Harbor, Ohio. The lighthouse was built in 1871 and has a 60-foot tower with a detached keeper's house. The light was decommissioned in 1925, replaced by the Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Light.
 Grand River (Fairport Harbor) Light and Marine Museum. | |
 | |
| Location | 129 2nd St., Fairport Harbor, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°45′25.07″N 81°16′38.33″W / 41.7569639°N 81.2773139°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1871  |
| Foundation | Dressed Stone, Timber/Piling |
| Construction | Sandstone & Brick |
| Height | 60 feet (18 m) |
| Shape | Conical |
| Markings | Natural Berea Sandstone |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1871 |
| Deactivated | 1925 |
| Lens | Third Order Fresnel - 1871 |
Fairport Marine Museum | |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1871 |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000642[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 5, 1971 |
At one time the Coast guard considered using the keeper's house to house their personnel and demolish the tower but a letter writing campaign by local residents prevented it from happening. In 1945 the Coast Guard turned over ownership of the light to the town.
The tower is open to the public and the keeper's house currently serves as the Fairport Harbor Marine Museum and Lighthouse (the first of its kind in the country), operated by the Fairport Harbor Historical Society. Visitors can climb the lighthouse for a view of the harbor. Founded in 1945, the museum features exhibits about the history of the lighthouse and its keepers, a Fresnel lens, lifesaving equipment, life on the Great Lakes, ship models and maritime artifacts. There is a gift shop. The former pilothouse from the Great Lakes carrier the Frontenac is attached to the museum's building. The museum is open seasonally, and is located at 129 Second Street. The lighthouse and museum are said to be haunted. Legend has it that a ghost cat haunts the facility. Volunteers and tourists alike have reported feeling a cat rub against them, although the cat is never seen.[2]
Location
editThe Grand River (Fairport Harbor) Light is located at the intersection of Second and High Streets in the village of Fairport Harbor.
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "Haunted Lighthouses: Fairport Harbor". Archived from the original on 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
Sources
edit- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Ohio". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
Further reading
edit- Harrison, Timothy, The lights and Lost Lights of Fairport Harbor, (October, 2001) Archived 2011-06-14 at the Wayback Machine Lighthouse Digest.
- Oleszewski, Wes. Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
- U.S. Coast Guard. Historically Famous Lighthouses (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1957).
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia. Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3
External links
editMedia related to Fairport Harbor Lighthouse at Wikimedia Commons
- Fairport Harbor Lighthouse on the World List of Lights
- Fairport Harbor Marine Museum and Lighthouse
- Anderson, Kraig. Lighthouse Friends
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Ohio". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Virtual Fairport Harbor