Wondering if anyone can help me. I know of only one light in Pennsylvania, Presque Isle. Are there others?

Hi and Welcome, Jessica.

Let me introduce you to the best resource for lighthouses on the Internet:
The Internet Index of Lighthouse Links


Click on the state-by-state choice in the left menu, then choose a state.


[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 01-01-2002).]

[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 01-01-2002).]

Hi Jessica!

Pennsylvania has three lighthouses you can see. Besides Presque Isle there is the Presque Isle North Pier Light and the Erie Land Light.

We visited these lights as well as the lights of western NY last summer. You can read about the trip here:
http://www.lighthousekeepers.com/forums/Forum15/HTML/000318.html

(Sorry, the photos are gone as they were on Photopoint)

I wouldn't go just yet as that area has received just a little bit of snow, lol! Quite a difference from last summer when the temps were in the high 90's!

Oops, almost forgot - there is also a small lighthouse in the Fairmont Park area of Philadephia. It's attached to one of the boathouses on the Schuylkill River. I believe it's called Turtle Rock.

[This message has been edited by mombo (edited 01-01-2002).]

I was out there last January after quite a bit of snow fall. Lake Erie was frozen and everything was white. Absolutely no one got in my pictures! Go figure.
It was an eerie experience though. With the lake frozen and nobody around, the only sounds were of my foot steps crunching through the snow. It was creepy if you ask me. The lights really poked through the white sky, white snow and white frozen lake.

The Presque Isle light and the Pierhead light are in the same park. Make sure to ask for directions from the ranger station. They had a nice lighthouse patch available when I was there. I didn't ask and I went to the Presque Isle light, then the Land Light across town and then I had to go back to the park for the pierhead light. All 3 lights are easily made in a day. If you need more to do while out there I would suggest the maritime museum.


shirin

Well, things must have changed since the last time I was in Erie (my home town is 15 miles west in Girard, PA.). Unless they have moved things around, Presque Isle Light is physically located in Presque Isle Park at the tip of the peninsula, Erie Land Light is located at the entrance to Presque Isle Park in the area of the amusement park and the Pier light is located across the bay at the foot of State Street on the pier where the Frigate Niagara is tied up. Now I could be wrong and they may have relocated the Pier Light as revamping of the downtown area was underway the last time I was home and they were also talking about renovating the Erie Land Light so let me know if you visit and I am wrong. Be sure and take a tour of the Frigate Niagara as a backup to lighthousing.

Rich

,

Thank you all very much. My fiance and I are planning a mini-vacation out there and weren't sure what lights were there. All of your information was extremely helpful. Special note to John: Thank you very much for the link. I have a feeling I will be visiting that site quite often.

Rich, I doubt that any of these lights have moved. The Erie Land light is located on the eastern side of Erie. It's just about opposite from the Presque Isle Pier light. We drove quite a ways west before we found the road that took us onto Presque Isle. Once there we circled the entire penninsula driving quite a ways before we turned off to the right to the CG and the pier light. Returning to the main road it wasn't too far to the large lighthouse and then again not too far before we had returned to the entrance of Presque Isle. If there was an amusement park anywhere I didn't notice it. If we had had more time and it had been earlier in the day I would have liked to have gone down to the waterfront area and go through the museum.

MOMBO, The original Pier Light was located on top of the steel 2 story pier at the foot of Sate Street (Main Drag throught downtown Erie) up until 1997 for sure. This was the last time in Erie (for my Father's funeral). I know that they were talking about relocating this light at that time. Now it is possible that their could have been two pier lights and the only one I knew about growing up was this one. The pier was a common gathering place during my teen years and quite a few open air dances were held on the top deck under the pier light. The exact location of the Erie land light was always mentioned to be at the top of the hill at the entrance to Presque Isle Park near the Waldemere Amusement Park and as I have never seen it physically, I will bow to your location. This will mean that I will be forced into returning to my home town haunts in the near future so I can actually see what they have done with the Pier Light that was a part of my teenage years. Who would have known that growing up dancing by the light of the Pier Light would have turned into my love of lighthouses.

Rich

Rich, the pier light you are remembering sure must be a different one. Way, way in the back of my mind something is telling me that I have heard of the light you remember. There is perhaps still a light there? You will have to dust off those dancing shoes and go back to check it out for us! The one on Presque Isle and its predecessor have been there forever.

There is a tiny park on the spot where the Erie Land Light is located but it is nowhere near the entrance to the peninsula. One of my sources says it's off E. 6th Street if that helps.

Rod's site has great photos on these lights:
http://home.neo.rr.com/rodsphotogallery/Lighthouses/PA/HTML/ErieNorth.html

Strangely enough, the Land Light is on Lighthouse Street (go figure), off Lake Road East. In a residential neighborhood, and if I remember correctly, on a bluff. As Mombo said, it is more or less across the bay from the Presque Isle North Pier LightAccording to Oleszewski's book, the pier light was established in 1927.

Dave

Mombo,
Well, my interest is really peaked now. I'm going to have to fold to you on the Land Light as I never physically saw it during my years living in PA. The Pier Light is where I am totally confused unless there are two lights referred to as Pier Lights. I do not ever remember seeing the light that you refer to in the vicinity of Presque Isle Light but then this is why we have these forums to discuss these things. I will do some further checking into the Pier Light and if and when I find out anything I will get back to you.

Rich

Why various sources can't seem to agree on dates is beyond me. Occasionally a difference of a year or so is found and understandable as some dates reflect when the light was built, some when it was put in service.

Regarding the pier light on Presque Isle compare the info from Rod's page with this excerpt taken from an article in a booklet called "The Showcase" Excursions in New York & Northwestern Pennsylvania. I picked it up last summer at the Dunkirk Lighthouse.

"Erie's third lighthouse - the Beacon Light -sits on the north pier at the channel entrance. The metal tower is painted black and white, and the beacon flashes red and white, leading waterway traffic safely through the channel. In 1859 a ship crashed into the original tower, set further back from the channel and on land, so the tower you see was built and placed on the pier in 1867."

Has anyone ever been to the Turtle Rock Light in Philadelphia?
I'll be in the area this weekend and thought I might try and stop by.

http://www.lhdigest.com/Digest/StoryPage.cfm?StoryKey=175


shirin

Mombo,

Remember the discussion we were having concerning the lighthouses/pier lights in Erie, PA? I did some research on the two lighthouses and you were correct on the Erie Land Light being located on the oposite side of the entrance to Erie Harbor as the existing Presque Isle Light is now located. Chauk one up to you! I had mentioned that I knew there was a Pier Light located on the Steel Pier at the foot of Erie's main street which is State Street. I found this pier light mentioned in Francis Ross Holland Jr. America's Lighthouses on page 176. He writes that in about 1837 "a beacon possessing four lamps was erected on the pier in Erie Harbor. Later, in 1858, it was rebuilt." He later states "Today the Erie Pierhead light is carried in the Coast Guard's Light List as the direct descendant of the United States' first lighthouse on the Graet Lakes." The present Presques Isle Light at the northern entrance to Erie Harbor didn't go into service until 1873 so the pier light you are refering to could not be the Steel Pier Light that I remember. The Steel Pier light that I am talking about was put into service 36 years before The Presque Isle Lighthouse was commisioned and was still active as late as 1996. Now, for all intensive purposes, Erie may actually have "four" lights: Erie Land Light, Presque Isle Light, Presque Isle Pier Light and the Original Erie Harbor Pier Light. What's your thoughts on this?

Rich

[This message has been edited by flacoastie (edited 01-23-2002).]

Found another one Rich!
http://www.lighthousedigest.com/database/uniquelighthouse.cfm?value=1938

If you go to the Yacht Club's site and click on the "directions" link it brings up a map which shows State Street(location of your pier light).

It is interesting the the Coast Guard Historian's site doesn't even list the North Pier Light. It does show photos of some other intersting lights though.
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/WEBLIGHTHOUSES/LHPA.html

OK, here's the sequence of the lights as near as I can figure. This excludes the light you recall.

The first lighthouse in the Erie area was built in 1818. This was located on the mainland near the current Erie Land Light (which was actually called the Presque Isle Light Station).

Then the original North Pier Light at the very tip of the peninsula was built in 1828.
There's been a light here ever since then except for the time when it was slammed into in the late 1850's.

In 1857 the 1818 light was torn down because it was sinking as it had been built on
quicksand. A replacement was built but also had to be taken down after 8 years as it also
sank. Finally they got it right and the current light was built in 1867. It was still referred to as the Presque Isle Light.

The Presque Isle Light on the peninsula was built in 1873. Guess they figured out that
the northern side of the peninsula needed protecting. This light also served as a location marker for ships traveling along the lake. The tower was raised to it’s current height in 1896.

In order to avoid confusion the 1867 light became known as the Land Lighthouse, later
the Erie Light Station and remained lit until 1881. In 1885 the light was relit. This lighthouse was also raised to clear the trees and served until 1899. In 1901 the lantern room was removed and the lens transfered to Marblehead lighthouse although I believe it is now back in Erie in the foyer of the Erie Insurance building. The light stood pretty well neglected until 1976. In 1989 a wooden lantern room was constructed and placed atop the light.

I think I would email the folks at that Yacht Club and ask them if they have knowledge of the pier light you remember.






[This message has been edited by mombo (edited 01-23-2002).]

Shirin, I have been to Turtle rock, it is on the north west side of town on Kelly drive just north of a very large museum, I'll try to get a map up tommorow, there is also a lightship on the other side of town, directly east of the Liberty Bell (on the river)

[This message has been edited by Mark Wagner (edited 01-25-2002).]

Thanks Mark, I was in the Philly area last weekend but I can save the info for the next time I am in the area.

shirin