Grand Island North Light Station - Old North Light, Munising Michigan

Date added: November 09, 2024

Categories:
Michigan
Lighthouse

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The Old North Light Station, built in 1867, is the oldest in the Pictured Rocks area of Lake Superior and predates the organization of Alger County, in which it stands, as well as the closest town, Munising, established in 1885. The lighthouse and its surrounding buildings present a strikingly original example of a nineteenth-century light station. Never encroached upon by development and never modernized, it still retains its original form and utilizes the same lighting, heating, water, and sanitation systems as when originally constructed. The building retains many features which were installed for functional purposes: internal shafts in the tower for the pendulum of the occulting mechanism, tool closets with original brass fittings, and a massive cast-iron staircase and deck. Illuminated by kerosene lamps and candles, heated by fireplace and wood stove, filled with period furniture of the 1860s, the lighthouse is a lovely place conserving a lost period in American history.

The location of the lighthouse is spectacular, sited atop cliffs of the same colorful appearance as those in the nearby Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. On a clear day, from the lighthouse tower one can see over one hundred miles of Lake Superior shoreline, all forested, and stretching from the Huron Mountains on the west to Grand Marais on the east. The view is as if nothing had changed in the years since the lighthouse was constructed.

The light station at North Point on Grand Island originated with an appropriation of $5,000 for a light at "Grand Island Harbor" voted on 3^rd March 1853 by Congress. The first station, which stood on the same site as the present one, was opened in 1856 and had a kerosene lamp. The original structure was poorly built and needed frequent repairs. In 1867 Congress appropriated $12,000 to construct a new station. The present structure was completed in 1868 and the lamp first lit on 15 August 1868.

The station was manned by a keeper and assistant. In the early years they remained year-round, despite the fact that the navigation season ran only from April or May to November or December, because of the station's isolation. After Munising was settled in the 1880s, however, the keepers spent only the navigation season at the light.

In 1920 acetylene replaced kerosene as the fuel for the lamp. In 1941 the light was automated, so that a permanent keeper was no longer needed. In 1961 the lamp was moved to a new tower nearby and the old station was abandoned. New owners bought the station in 1972 and repaired and restored it for use as a vacation home.

Site Description

Old North Lighthouse, built in 1867, is a brick lighthouse with four surrounding buildings (all restored original buildings on original sites), making up a complete ensemble of a nineteenth-century light station. Besides the lighthouse itself, the buildings include a wooden tool shed, brick fuel storage shed, brick outhouse, and windlass well, and wooden well house. The buildings are constructed on compass-bearing lines, with the light tower on the east end of the main building, and the kitchen on the west end. The ensemble of buildings is located atop a 190-foot cliff overlooking Lake Superior on three sides (west, north, and east) and is in a small clearing surrounded by forest. The closest other building or structure is six miles away.

The lighthouse was built to house a fourth-order Fresnel lens (no longer present). Until 1941 a keeper and an assistant keeper lived there, but in that year the light was automated and converted to battery power. In 1961, the lens was moved outside the lighthouse onto a nearby steel pole, and the lighthouse was abandoned. It was restored in 1972-73, by Drs. Loren and Patricia Graham, both professional historians. Although entirely restored and now in excellent condition, it has not been modernized: the house has never been wired for electricity and has no furnace, indoor bathroom, or telephone. All utilities are still the original ones: kerosene lamps for light, outdoor windlass well and indoor original brick-arched cistern for water, outdoor brick outhouse with removable "honey-drawer" for toilet facilities. The heating is by a fireplace and wood-burning kitchen range.

The lighthouse was built to standard U.S. Lighthouse Establishment plans. The date of construction, 1867, is engraved into the lintel stone above the tower door. Construction materials from an off-shore boat were hauled several hundred feet up a steep cliff, using a tramway that was built for this purpose; the original bolts holding the cables in place are still visible at the base of the cliff.

The main building is approximately forty-five feet long (east-west) and thirty feet wide (north-south), and is two stories in height, with a three-story tower and one-story kitchen attached. The construction is of brick, with wood roof beams and supports. The roof is double-sloped, using queen-post roof trusses. The roofing material is pressed-tin; while probably not original, it is very old, possibly late nineteenth century. The spiral staircase is of cast iron and is original. Most of the cast-iron shutter hinges are original. The tower contains internal shafts for the pendulum that powered the occulting mechanism (missing) for the light and for storage of cleaning tools. The shaft and storage areas can be opened by means of original doors with brass fittings; these wooden doors are curved to fit the inside surface of the tower. The stairway to the basement is made of stone, with an original balustrade with a shaped holder for a lamp. The foundation is of sandstone.

The external colors of all buildings are yellow, with white trim, the original color scheme found at the time of restoration. The tower is white. The cast-iron deck and light cupola are black with gold trim and a gold-leaf ball on top. All walls on the inside are of plaster, painted white. All floors are original pine, and have been restored to natural finish.

The lighthouse dwelling contains four bedrooms, a keeper's office, a living room, and a kitchen. The basement contains two rooms, including an original storage cabinet. There is one three-flue chimney with a fireplace and five stove holes, only one of which (kitchen) is used.

Minor alterations are known to have been made on two occasions. In 1908, approximately, two dormer windows were added. In 1972 a partition was removed to enlarge the living room.

The ensemble of buildings is a striking example of an original light station. With no buildings present other than the original ones, and with no other buildings visible anywhere in the distance, the lighthouse presents today an appearance nearly identical to what it was at the time of its construction. The original entrance to the lighthouse was by path from the tramway down the nearby cliff; although the tramway disappeared years ago, the path is still clearly visible. No paved road has ever been built to the lighthouse, although a jeep trail now provides entrance from the south. No utility or telephone lines lead to the lighthouse.