Fort Gratiot, Michinga - Harbour Lights HL253 HL253 $65.95

Item #HL253
A limited edition of 7,000.

The year was 1823. Michigan had yet to join the Union, but the government recognized the need for a lighthouse to guide sailors along the beautiful yet treacherous St. Clair River to the mouth of Lake Huron.

The contract went to Winslow Lewis, a Massachusetts contractor specializing in lighthouses. However Lewis contracted with Daniel Warren of Rochester NY who apparently did not specialize in lighthouses. It took two years and $8,500 appropriated by Congress to complete the 32 foot lighthouse. It would collapse a mere three years later.

But the need for a lighthouse at Fort Gratiot prevailed. Congress took immediate action to erect a new structure - this time, built by a better contractor at a better location. The job went to Licius Lyon, who successfully completed the new brick lighthouse at a more northerly point in 1829. In 1862, the tower was raised to 86 feet. A brick keepers' quarters was built in 1874. Today this historic site bears the celebrated distinction of being Michigan's oldest light station.