Navigation Structures at South Haven Harbor, Michigan
About this property
The South Haven South Pierhead Light is a lighthouse in Michigan, at the entrance to the Black River on Lake Michigan. The station was lit in 1872, and is still operational. The tower is a shortened version of the Muskegon South Pierhead Light, and replaced an 1872 wooden tower. The catwalk is original and still links the tower to shore: it is one of only four that survive in the State of Michigan. The keeper's house is on shore, 2-1⁄2 stories tall, wood with a hipped-roof. It was also built in 1872, and is located at 91 Michigan Avenue onshore, was transferred to the city for preservation in 2000. The Michigan Maritime Museum has renovated the keeper's house as the Marialyce Canonie Great Lakes Research Library. A Fifth order Fresnel lens manufactured by Parisian glass makers Barbier and Fenestre was installed in the lantern. The current tower was designed by Eleventh District engineer James G. Warren. The U.S. Lighthouse Service elected to tear down the wooden lighthouse and replace it. On October 6, 1903 ten workers arrived on the USLHS tender Hyacinth and began the project. It took a little more than a month to complete the project. According to The Daily Tribune (October 14, 1903) the lantern room was brought from Muskegon, Michigan where it had spent forty years on duty. In 1913, the location was deemed unsatisfactory, and the cast iron lighthouse was moved 425 feet (130 m) to the end of the pier. In 1999, Lighthouse Digest published an extensive article on the light, filled with interesting anecdotes and ephemera. In 2005 this museum reported it was "in the process" of acquiring the lighthouse. It is accessible to the public, and located on the south pier at the mouth of the Black River, at the end of Water Street. Located at the end of the pier at the foot of Water Street in South Haven. One can get there by walking the pier after parking in the nearby city park. The site is open, but the tower is closed (except for open house during the city's mid-June Harborfest). Detroit News, Interactive map on Michigan lighthouses. Harrison, Timothy, South Haven Lights...Pages From Their Past, Lighthouse Digest. Lighthouse Central, Photographs, History, Directions and Way points for Southhaven South Pier Light, The Ultimate Guide to West Michigan Lighthouses by Jerry Roach (Publisher: Bugs Publishing LLC). ISBN 0-9747977-0-7.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Navigation Structures at South Haven Harbor, Michigan
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Questions about this property
When was Navigation Structures at South Haven Harbor, Michigan listed on the National Register?
Navigation Structures at South Haven Harbor, Michigan was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 23, 1995.
What type of historic resource is Navigation Structures at South Haven Harbor, Michigan?
Navigation Structures at South Haven Harbor, Michigan is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Navigation Structures at South Haven Harbor, Michigan?
The period of significance for Navigation Structures at South Haven Harbor, Michigan is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Navigation Structures at South Haven Harbor, Michigan?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Navigation Structures at South Haven Harbor, Michigan will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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