Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association

08/07/2026

Happy National Lighthouse Day from the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (GLLKA)!

08/06/2026

Sunny day at lonely Lansing Shoal Light, MI on northern Lake Michigan - Photo by Michael W. Collins Photography

Lansing Shoal Lighthouse

08/06/2026

We highly recommend these tours…

Lorain Lighthouse Tours are still available! Wednesday, August 12th at 5, 6, 7 and 8 PM,

Sunday, August 16th at 11 AM, Noon, 1 and 2 PM,

Sunday, August 30th 11am, 12pm is SOLD OUT, 1pm and 2pm

Saturday, September 5th 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2pm

Saturday, September 12th 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2 pm

Secure your spot by booking at Lorainlighthouse.org

Walk ups are welcome but time slot not guaranteed!

08/06/2026

Good morning from, and some history about, the iconic Marblehead Light, OH on Lake Erie courtesy of the Ohio Field Guide

Marblehead Lighthouse stands as the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation anywhere on the Great Lakes, and its story starts with a genuine act of political foresight following war. In 1819, just six years after the pivotal Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812 had demonstrated exactly how much American shipping needed protecting on these waters, the 15th U.S. Congress allocated $5,000 to build a light tower marking the entrance to Sandusky Bay, meant to guide vessels safely through the treacherous passage between the Ohio mainland and a cluster of nearby islands.

Contractor William Kelly and a two-man crew began construction in September 1821, building directly on a limestone outcropping at the tip of what was then called Rocky Point. They used locally quarried Columbus Limestone, the same durable stone later used to build Ohio's own State Capitol, and by November had finished a 50-foot conical tower with a base 26 feet in diameter and walls 5 feet thick, tapering up to just 12 feet wide with 2-foot walls near the top. The lighthouse first lit its beacon in 1822, burning whale oil, and continued lighting the same waters through kerosene, lard oil, and eventually electricity and LED technology over the following two centuries.

Fifteen different keepers tended the light before it was finally automated in 1958, and Marblehead holds a genuinely unusual distinction among them: it's the only Ohio lighthouse ever to have had two female keepers, and the first lighthouse anywhere on the Great Lakes to employ a woman in that role at all. The first keeper, Benajah Wolcott, was a Revolutionary War veteran and one of the peninsula's earliest settlers, and his original stone home still stands today as the oldest known residence in Ottawa County, preserved as the Keeper's House Museum.

The tower itself got a 15-foot extension added in 1903 to boost its visibility, and it's survived nearly two centuries of Lake Erie's brutal weather almost entirely intact while most of the lake's other original lighthouses were lost to fire, ice, or storms over the same period. Ownership eventually passed to the state, with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources maintaining the grounds since 1972 and formally taking ownership of the tower itself in 1998, even as the U.S. Coast Guard still operates and maintains the actual beacon. Today the lighthouse's green light flashes every six seconds, visible 11 nautical miles out into western Lake Erie, and the site draws more than 500,000 visitors a year, making it one of the most photographed landmarks anywhere in the state, distinctive enough to have appeared on both a U.S. postage stamp and Ohio's own license plates.

08/05/2026

A belated 116th Happy Birthday to Split Rock Light, MN on Lake Superior - Video by Nathan Klok Photography

08/05/2026

St. Helena Island Lighthouse

08/05/2026

🌊 **Win a 2-Night Stay at St. Helena Island Light Station in 2027!** 🏝️

Enter for your chance to experience an unforgettable stay at our historic St. Helena Island Light Station. Purchase your raffle ticket today at www.gllka.org

Every ticket helps support the ongoing restoration and preservation of Great Lakes lighthouses, ensuring these historic treasures can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Thank you for supporting the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, and good luck!

08/05/2026

08/05/2026

Clear skies and pretty stones at Crisp Point Light, MI on Lake Superior - Photo by Craig Sterken Photography

Clear skies and pretty stones at Crisp Point Lighthouse.
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