Grand River (Fairport Harbor) Light

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.

Fairport Harbor Lighthouse
Grand River (Fairport Harbor) Light and Marine Museum.
Location129 2nd St., Fairport Harbor, Ohio
Coordinates41°45′25.07″N 81°16′38.33″W
Year first lit1871
Deactivated1925
FoundationDressed Stone, Timber/Piling
ConstructionSandstone & Brick
Tower shapeConical
Markings / patternNatural Berea Sandstone
Tower height60 feet (18 m)
Original lensThird Order Fresnel - 1871
ARLHS numberUSA-279.[1][2]
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Fairport Marine Museum
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1871 (1871)
NRHP reference No.71000642[3]
Added to NRHPNovember 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.[4]

Location

The Grand River (Fairport Harbor) Light is located at the intersection of Second and High Streets in the village of Fairport Harbor.

Notes
  1. Amateur Radio Light House Society, Fairport Harbor (Lake Erie) Light #USA-782.
  2. Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, World List of Lights (WLOL).
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  4. Haunted Lighthouses: Fairport Harbor.

Sources

Further reading
  • Harrison, Timothy, The lights and Lost Lights of Fairport Harbor, (October, 2001) 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
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