The John G. Munson Visits Ashtabula

As I was checking out AIS to figure out when the Blough would arrive in Conneat, I saw that the John G. Munson was heading to Ashtabula and I saw that she would be a little later.  Ashtabula is the next town to the west from Conneaut, so it gave me the opportunity to catch a ship coming into another port.

The area around Ashtabula was long settled by Native Americans but it was established as a European American settlement in 1803.  Because it was across Lake Erie from Ontario, there were several stops of the Underground Railroad here.

With it's location on the mouth of the Ashtabula River, it made a natural point to establish a port.  It would start to receive iron and coal from Minnesota in the late 1800's.  It continues to serve as a stone and coal unloading point.

 The John G. Munson makes her way past the lighthouse and enters the breakwater.

 I think I had some pretty cool shots from here, especially since I could get some trains in the foreground.

 A shot of her pilothouse.

 With the presence of a major port, it is also a major hub for the railroads.  I lost track of how many trains were there.

 I kind of like this shot.

 I wandered around town a bit to get a cleaner shot of the Munson.  I kind of like this one but I think I'd like it more without the lines in the front.

Ashtabula's first lighthouse was built in 1836.  It was a wooden structure that used oil fired lights.  It was replaced by a new tower with fresnel lenses.  In 1905, the mouth of the Ashtabula River was widened and this light was added.  This was the last lighthouse on the Great Lakes to be manned and was automated in 1973.  It is currently in the hands of a preservation group.