Marblehead Lighthouse Again

Normally if I were going to take a trip, I would head out to western Michigan or the Upper Peninsula.  This time, we decided to head down to Ohio.  We were going to head to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park but I decided to take a more scenic route to get there.  It was a good thing because it turns out that my friend had never seen Marblehead before.

 The lighthouse was established in 1822 and as such is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the United States side of the Great Lakes.

 It is a pretty attractive lighthouse.  I don't think it is as nice as some of the Michigan Lighthouses but it will do.   In 1819, Congress authorized the funds for a lighthouse at the entrance of Sandusky Bay.

 The first lighthouse keeper was named Benajah Wolcott who was a Revolutionary War veteran.  Upon his death in 1832, his wife took over the keeper duties.

 There have been a total of 15 lighthouse keepers here.

 In 1858, the original lamp was replaced with a Fresnel Lens. 

 In 1923, the kerosene lamp was replaced by an electric light which increased the intensity. 

 In 1946, the Coast Guard took over the station.  I'm not sure when this house was built.

 And in 1958, the light was automated.  Today the lighthouse produces a green light to distinguish it from the airport beacons.

In 1972, the State of Ohio took over the maintenance of the property around the light and in 1998, they took over ownership of the light.  The light was renovated in 2002.  The Ottawa County Historical society owns the original keeper's house which is 3 miles away.