Round Island Light (Michigan)

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Round Island Light (Michigan)

Round Island Lighthouse
Location: Mackinac County, Michigan
Coordinates
WGS-84 (GPS)		 45°50′13.8″N, 84°36′59.7″W
Year first lit: 1895
Automated: 1924
Deactivated: 1947
Foundation: Concrete pier
Construction: Brick
Tower shape: Square
Markings/Pattern: red w/black lantern, trim & attached house w/red lower & cream upper
Height: Tower - 53 feet (16 m)
Elevation: Focal plane - 57 feet (17 m)
Original lens: Fourth Order Fresnel Lens
Range: 18 miles (29 km)
Characteristic: Fl W 10 seconds[1]

The Round Island Light is a lighthouse located on the east shore of Round Island in the shipping lanes of the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Because of its color scheme and form -- red stone base and wood tower -- it has been likened to an old-fashioned schoolhouse.[2] Ferries regularly pass it on their way to (and from) Mackinac Island, and it is a recognizable icon of the upper Great Lakes.

Contents

[edit] History

The Round Island Light was built of painted brick in 1895 by a predecessor agency of the United States Coast Guard. It served as an active, manned lighthouse and fog signal in 1895-1947. It was abandoned in 1947 and replaced by an automated light tower located in the adjacent Round Island Channel. In abandonment, the light tower deteriorated at the hands of salvagors and vandals. The structure's deterioration neared the point of no return in 1972 when a storm caused a corner of the light tower to collapse.[3]

This event spurred preservation efforts. Round Island Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in September 1974,[4] and was added to the list of registered Michigan historic sites in 1978 (see below). Emergency work to stabilize the light tower structure was conducted in the 1970s, but the light tower remained gutted and inoperative. Restoration work was conducted in the 1990s by the Friends of the Round Island Lighthouse and led by the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (GLLKA)[5], aided by Boy Scouts of America Troup 323.[4] The work was partially funded by the state of Michigan, with the help of funds from a special license plate developed by the state to raise donations for lighthouse restoration.[6][7] As a result of the success of this restoration work, the Coast Guard granted permission to relight the Round Island Light. The light was relit in 1996.[8]

The Round Island Light is a registered Michigan historic site and is the focus of an official Michigan Historical Marker erected in 1978, Registered Site No. L0107. The text of the marker notes:

  • The Round Island Lighthouse, seen south of this site, was completed in 1895. Operating under the auspices of the United States Government, this facility was in continuous use for fifty-two years. It was manned by a crew of three until its beacon was replaced by an automated light in 1924. A sole caretaker occupied and operated the station from 1924 to 1947. Following the construction of a new automatic beacon near the breakwater off the south shore of Mackinac Island, the lighthouse was abandoned. The United States Forest Service now supervises the structure which is located in the Hiawatha National Forest. The lighthouse serves as a sentinel for the past, reminding visitors of the often precarious sailing and rich history of the Straits of Mackinac.[9]

Because Round Island is not accessible to most visitors, the "Round Island Lighthouse" historical marker is located on Biddle's Point on nearby Mackinac Island, within easy view of the light tower.

A private boat is, of course, the best way to see this light close up. Short of that, Sheplers Ferry Service out of Mackinaw City offers periodic lighthouse cruises in the summer season. Its "Eastbound Tour" includes passes by Round Island Light, Bois Blanc Island and Light, Poe Reef light and Fourteen Foot Shoal Light. Schedules and rates are available from Shapler's.[10][11]

Round Island Light is one of 149 lighthouses in Michigan. Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state. See Lighthouses in the United States.

[edit] Light in popular culture

It was prominently featured in the 1982 movie Somewhere in Time.[12]

Because of its picturesque color and form, and its location near Mackinac Island (in the path of passing ferries)[13] and the Mackinac Bridge, it is often the subject of photographs, and drawings.[14] Even needlepoint illustrations have been created.[15]

A children's book written by Robert A. Lytle is titled Mackinac Passage: Mystery at Round Island Light (Paperback) ISBN 0971269238; ISBN 978-0971269231.

[edit] External links

[edit] Bibliography and further reading

[edit] References

  1. ^ Volume 7, US Coast Guard Lightlist (PDF).
  2. ^ Lake Huron Lights.
  3. ^ Lighthouses in the Mackinac Straits.
  4. ^ a b Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Round Island Light.
  5. ^ http://www.gllka.com/ Great Lakes Lightouse Keepers Association]
  6. ^ Michigan Government on Round Island Light.
  7. ^ Lynne Cohen Duncan, Round Island Light.
  8. ^ Mackinac Island News, September 10, 2005, on Round Island light.
  9. ^ Michigan Historical Markers.
  10. ^ Sheplers Ferry Service.
  11. ^ Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Fourteen Foot Shoal Light.
  12. ^ Wobser, David, Boatnerd.com on Round Island Light, with links to pictures.
  13. ^ Lighthouse Friends, Round Island lights.
  14. ^ Mulgrew, Marilyn, Drawing of Round Island Point Light.
  15. ^ Needlepoint of Round Island Light.
  16. ^ Old Mackinac Point Light Press Release.

[edit] See also

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U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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