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Fairport Harbor Lighthouse sits on top of the hill at the mouth of the Grand River. By the summer of 1871, the current conical, gray Berea sandstone tower and attached brick keeper’s dwelling were complete. On August 11, 1871, a third-order Fresnel lens shone a fixed white light for the first time. The light stood 102 feet above the lake level and was visible for eighteen miles. The Fairport Harbor Marine Museum is housed in the keeper’s dwelling. The museum was not open the day I was there but you could walk around the grounds.

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This flagpole was made from the foremast of the USS Michigan later the USS Wolverine which was the first iron warship in the US Navy. It was erected in 1950 on the grounds of the Fairport Harbor Marine Museum

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Frontenac Pilot House -- This is the actual Pilot House from the decommissioned Great Lakes freighter and is a permanent addition to the museum's building.

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One of only three known surviving lifeboats of this type from the 19th century; on display at the base of the Fairport Harbor Lighthouse.

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Fairport Harbor West Breakwater -- This charming 42-foot tower, with its attached two-story keeper’s cottage, sits near the end of the west breakwater protecting the manmade harbor of Fairport. The harbor, in turn, protects the mouth of the Grand River, which has served as one of the region’s most important commercial hubs. Still an active aid to navigation, it is owned and managed by the Coast Guard, and is currently closed to the public.

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Cleveland West Pierhead Lighthouse – This cast iron lighthouse was built in1911 and is 67 feet high. The small building adjacent to the lighthouse housed a keeper and two assistants. It still operates as a US Coast Guard Station. This lighthouse is best viewed by boat but a distant view can be had from behind the Cleveland Browns Stadium.

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Cleveland East Pierhead Lighthouse – This cast iron lighthouse was built in 1910 and once housed a 5th Order Fresnel lens. At 30 feet tall, this lighthouse now operates with a 300mm plastic optic and is an active Coast Guard station. This lighthouse is best viewed by boat but a distant view can be had from behind the Cleveland Browns Stadium.

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Cleveland Harbor East -- Guarding the east entrance to Cleveland’s harbor, this cylindrical 47-foot steel tower is white with a distinctive red band in the middle. It also has a red light that flashes three seconds on, three seconds off, and is still an active aid to navigation. Because the breakwater is not attached to the shore, the light is accessible by boat only. I viewed it from the East 55th Street Marina.

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Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial –While the 352-foot high column has served as a navigational aid, the park rangers are quick to tell you it is not a lighthouse. The Perry Memorial stands as a tribute to the hero, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, whose daring determination marked a turning point in the war of 1812 that both ended Britain’s hope for reclaiming American colonies and put the United States on the international map. It is located on the east side of the Village of Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island.

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South Bass Island Lighthouse – This brick lighthouse contained two and a half stories of living space with an attached 60 foot tower. Today it is owned by the Ohio State University and is used as living quarters for its nearby Stone Laboratory on Gibraltar Island. A NOAA satellite station was added to the property in 1983 when they determined it was a good location for a meteorological station.

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Besides the lighthouse and a modern replacement light tower, an original barn and an oil house remain standing on the property.

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Toledo Harbor -- Since 1904 this 69 foot Romanesque structure has guarded Toledo’s harbor. It sits on a crib about eight miles from the mouth of the Maumee River. Efforts to restore the lighthouse and provide public access are underway. The light is best seen by boat but a distant view of the light is possible from the shores of Maumee Bay State Park.

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In the lodge at Maumee Bay State Park is the 3.5 order Fresnel lens from the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse

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Peche Island – this lighthouse originally stood in Canadian waters off Peche Island in Lake St. Clair. It was relocated to Marine City in 1983

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St. Clair Flats South Channel Lights located off the Southern tip of Harsens Island in Lake St. Clair – about a mile offshore

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Colony Tower -- I drove past this tower as I was driving down Michigan Highway 29. Since it resembled a lighthouse, I turned around and went back to photograph it. This 136 foot tower built in 1925 to resemble a lighthouse once housed a 60,000 gallon water tank. A light shone from atop the tower from 1925-1937 when it was extinguished due to high operating costs. This is a registered Michigan Historic Site.

Well gang that's the end of the trip. Total lighthouses I have seen and photographed over the years now stands at 409 plus 9 Lightships and 12 Lifesaving or Lifeboat stations. Still have a long way to go before I have them all

BRAVO!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Sandy

Wow !!! You did see many lighthouses on your trip.

I especially like the 3 Cleveland harbor lights.

Awesome trip...Awesome pictures!
Thank you!

Thanks for sharing all your nice photos and commentary Darlene. You did about the same route John and I were planning on taking when we were planning to attend the Cedar Point regional.

However, my spring and summer plans continually changed because of moving and we ended up in Europe instead of the regional.

I did get to see a few lighthouses in Italy but would still like to see all the Lake Erie lights.

Thanks for taking me on your trip through your pictures. Looks like you had great weather, too.

Larry

Wonderful photos. Loved them! Thanks for sharing!

Great pictures and text. Thank you so much for taking us with you!

Kudos on all the pics and your commentary. Thanks!

Darlene, I enjoyed seeing your photos. Thanks for sharing.

Darlene,
Thanks for sharing your photos. They wer wonderful.

Darlene had quite the adventure. Thanks for sharing with such a good travelogue. It is postings such as these that will help form a trip for another member. They see what can be accomplished and make their own plans.

I shared with Darlene a Streets & Trips map with all these lights plotted on it. Always a good way to help plot your route and timeline. Another must have resource if you are going to visit the Great Lakes is the Penrose books (Western GL, Michigan, and Eastern GL). All are available from GLLKA if you can not find them locally. At $15 each they are the best investment you can make when planning a visit.

Thanks guys for the nice comments; glad you enjoyed "the trip". Another great resource that I use when planning my trips is Lighthouse Friends . And remember to keep your eyes open and plan in some time for those unexpected sites along the way; there's more to lighthouse trips than just lighthouses--at least for me anyways
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these waterlilies were growing along the highways in Ohio

Great photos, Darlene and you are correct that it is nice to fit in one or two other things on lighhousing trips.

Of course one time we had to choose between the Football Hall of Fame or more lighthouses and guess which one we choose? At least I had seen the Football Hall of Fame before so I told Bill to make the call and naturally the lighthouses won out! It's tough passing on lighthouses we haven't seen!

Judy