Beaver Island Harbor Light

Beaver Island Harbor Light

Whiskey Point (St. James Harbor, Beaver Island)
Location Beaver Island
St. James, Michigan
United States
Coordinates 45°44′34″N 85°30′31″W / 45.74278°N 85.50861°W / 45.74278; -85.50861Coordinates: 45°44′34″N 85°30′31″W / 45.74278°N 85.50861°W / 45.74278; -85.50861
Year first constructed 1856 (original tower)
1870 (current tower)
Year first lit 1870
Automated 1927
Tower shape Cylindrical
Markings / pattern White (Originally yellow) w/ black lantern
Height 41 feet (12 m)
Focal height 38 feet (12 m)[1]
Original lens Fourth Order Fresnel
Current lens Fourth Order Fresnel
Range 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi)
Characteristic

ISO Red 6 seconds

Light obscured from 127°30′ to 199°30[2]
ARLHS number USA-047
USCG number

7-17845

Beaver Island Light Station
Nearest city St. James, Michigan
Area 64.2 acres (26.0 ha)
NRHP Reference # 78001495[3]
Added to NRHP December 29, 1978

Beaver Island Harbor Light (or St. James Light) is a lighthouse located in St. James, Michigan, on the northern end of Beaver Island on Lake Michigan. It has also been called "St. James Harbor Light" and "Whiskey Point Light". It is associated with a U.S. Coast Guard station, which was formerly a lifesaving station.[4] The tower is constructed of Cream City Brick.

Whiskey Point was originally named for the 1838 fur trading post that operated on the point, and for the commodity that was the post's chief item of sale. Soon afterward in the 1850s, St. James's Harbor on Beaver Island became established as a safe haven in a storm (an event quite common on Lake Michigan). The light was thus a natural extension of the emergency usage. The original light was constructed in 1856, and the light currently in use was constructed in 1870.[5]

At this time, the harbor is used by the Beaver Island ferry, so the light is still an active aid to navigation.

Notes

References

External links

U.S. Coast Guard Archive Photo
Station without Keeper's Quarters, U.S. Coast Guard Archive Photo
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