Port Austin Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
Port Austin Lighthouse (or Port Austin Reef Light) is a lighthouse
off the shore of Lake Huron
, about 2.5 miles (4 km) north of Port Austin
, Huron County
Michigan
sitting on a rocky reef
(shoal
), which is just north of the tip of the Thumb
and a real hazard to navigation.
.
The Station was established and the light first lit in 1878, and its pier was modified in 1899. It is still operational and is automated. The foundation materials are a pier, and the tower is constructed of yellow brick, with buff markings. It is octagonal, 60 feet (18.3 m) tall, with an attached keeper
house. However, the focal plain is 76 feet (23.2 m). It originally had a fourth-order Fresnel lens
by Henry Lepaute of Paris and installed in 1899. The optic was 300 mm glass. In 1985 the lens was replaced by a 12-volt solar-powered Tideland Signal 300 mm acrylic optic, which eliminated the need to maintain the submarine cable.
Decking has been covered with galvanized metal shingles, and painted in the bright red that is historically accurate. Railings were affixed to the access ladder, and safety chains edging the deck were replaced. Installed also were a new brick chimney and 18 new windows. In 1990, PARLA's license to renovate the structure was extended through 2020.
Current restoration continues by the Port Austin Reef Light Association.
The light is not open for tours. It is a long and difficult trip to the light, which is always hindered by the reef, and often by the fog. However, it is possible to photograph the lighthouse from shore, although it takes a long lens or digital zoom.
The light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in September 2011. The site includes adjacent bottom lands. A two story on shore lighthouse keeper
's house still exists.
In June 2011, the General Services Administration
made the Port Austin Light (along with 11 others) available at no cost to public organizations willing to preserve them.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
off the shore of Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
, about 2.5 miles (4 km) north of Port Austin
Port Austin, Michigan
Port Austin is a village in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 737 at the 2000 census. The village is within Port Austin Township.-Geography:...
, Huron County
Huron County, Michigan
-Highways:* M-19* M-25* M-53* M-142-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 36,079 people, 14,597 households, and 10,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile . There were 20,430 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile...
Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
sitting on a rocky reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
(shoal
Shoal
Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...
), which is just north of the tip of the Thumb
The Thumb
The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten; thus the Thumb is the area that looks like the thumb of the mitten. The Thumb is generally considered to be in the Mid-Michigan area of the state, located east of Flint/Tri-Cities...
and a real hazard to navigation.
History
The original plans were for this lighthouse to be built on shore. The crib was built in TawasTawas City, Michigan
Tawas City is a city along Lake Huron in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,005. It is the county seat of Iosco County...
.
The Station was established and the light first lit in 1878, and its pier was modified in 1899. It is still operational and is automated. The foundation materials are a pier, and the tower is constructed of yellow brick, with buff markings. It is octagonal, 60 feet (18.3 m) tall, with an attached keeper
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
house. However, the focal plain is 76 feet (23.2 m). It originally had a fourth-order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
by Henry Lepaute of Paris and installed in 1899. The optic was 300 mm glass. In 1985 the lens was replaced by a 12-volt solar-powered Tideland Signal 300 mm acrylic optic, which eliminated the need to maintain the submarine cable.
Current status and activities
In 1990, volunteers from the Port Austin Reef Light Association engaged in an "heroic effort" to oust a colony of seagulls that had taken over the building, and then screened and reroofed it. Restoration efforts continue.Decking has been covered with galvanized metal shingles, and painted in the bright red that is historically accurate. Railings were affixed to the access ladder, and safety chains edging the deck were replaced. Installed also were a new brick chimney and 18 new windows. In 1990, PARLA's license to renovate the structure was extended through 2020.
Current restoration continues by the Port Austin Reef Light Association.
The light is not open for tours. It is a long and difficult trip to the light, which is always hindered by the reef, and often by the fog. However, it is possible to photograph the lighthouse from shore, although it takes a long lens or digital zoom.
The light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in September 2011. The site includes adjacent bottom lands. A two story on shore lighthouse keeper
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
's house still exists.
In June 2011, the General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
made the Port Austin Light (along with 11 others) available at no cost to public organizations willing to preserve them.
Specialized further reading
- Baranski, Connie. "The Port Austin Reef Lighthouse." Central Michigan UniversityCentral Michigan UniversityCentral Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
Term Paper, 1970. - Port Austin Reef Lighthouse journal, 1909-1917.
External links
- Extensive history of the Port Austin Lighthouse at Seeing the Light by Terry Pepper.
- Interactive map of lighthouses in the Thumb/Lake Huron area.
- Interactive map, list, information for lighthouses in North and West Lake Huron.
- Michigan.gov website has a Map of Michigan Lighthouses.
- U.S. Coast Guard Search & Rescue Index
- Wobser, David, Port Austin Reef Light at Boatnerd.com.