Ludington Light

The Ludington Light is a 57-foot (17 m) tall steel-plated lighthouse in Ludington, Michigan, which lies along the eastern shores of Lake Michigan, at the end of the breakwater on the Pere Marquette Harbor. Given its location on the northern breakwater where the Pere Marquette River meets Lake Michigan, it is sometimes known as the Ludington North Breakwater Light. Underlying the building itself is a prow-like structure, which is designed to break waves.

Ludington Light
Ludington Light
LocationLudington, Michigan
Coordinates43°57′13.002″N 86°28′9.737″W
Year first constructed1871
Year first lit1871
Automated1972
DeactivatedN/A
FoundationPier
ConstructionSteel / Reinforced concrete
Tower shapeSquare Pyramidal
Markings / patternwhite with black lantern
Tower height57 feet (17 m)
Focal height55 feet (17 m)
Original lensfifth order Fresnel Lens
Current lens12-inch (300 mm) Tideland Signal ML-300 Acrylic Optic
Intensity5000 candles
Range5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi)
CharacteristicIso G 6s 55
Fog signalHORN: 2 blasts ev 30s (2s bl-2s si-2s bl-24s si). Operates from Apr. 1 to Oct. 1.[1]
ARLHS numberUSA-460
USCG number7-18530
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Ludington North Breakwater Light
LocationLudington, Michigan
Built1924
NRHP reference No.05000982[2]
Added to NRHPSeptember 6, 2005

History

The station was established in 1871. This light was first lit in 1924, and it is presently operational. It was automated in 1972. The light is structurally integrated into the steel and reinforced concrete pier upon which it is built. It has a square pyramidal form, and is white with a black lantern. The original lens was a Fourth Order Fresnel lens.[3] On October 17, 1995 the Fresnel lens was removed from the lantern. It was replaced by a 12-inch (300 mm) Tideland Signal ML-300 acrylic optic.[4] The original lens was loaned to Historic White Pine Village where it is displayed as part of their maritime history exhibit.[5]

A fog signal building is integrated into the tower. It originally had a Type F Diaphone signal, and a FA-232 is now in operation. A radio beacon is also in place and operational.[6]

In 2006, the Ludington Breakwater Lighthouse was opened to the public for the first time in its history. The Coast Guard transferred ownership to the City of Ludington under the terms of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. The lighthouse is being operated and maintained in partnership with the Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association,[7] which is a volunteer group that maintains, restores and operates this light, the Big Sable Point Lighthouse and the Little Sable Point Lighthouse.[8]

The lighthouse is open to the public during the summer season for climbing tours.

See also

Notes
  1. Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  3. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Michigan". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  4. "Seeing The Light - The 300mm plastic lighthouse optic". Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  5. "Seeing The Light - Ludington North Pierhead Lighthouse". Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  6. "Ludington North Pier Lighthouse, MI". Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  7. Lighthouse depot newsletter Archived 2007-12-17 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-06-15. Retrieved 2008-06-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Further reading
  • Bibliography on Michigan lighthouses.
  • Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein, The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses (2002) ISBN 1-59223-102-0; ISBN 978-1-59223-102-7.
  • Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan. The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-8143-2554-8 ISBN 9780814325544.
  • Jones, Ray & Bruce Roberts, American Lighthouses (Globe Pequot, September 1, 1998, 1st Ed.) ISBN 0-7627-0324-5; ISBN 978-0-7627-0324-1.
  • Jones, Ray,The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference (Globe Pequot, January 1, 2004, 1st ed.) ISBN 0-7627-2735-7; ISBN 978-0-7627-2735-3.
  • Noble, Dennis, Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy (Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997). ISBN 1-55750-638-8; ISBN 978-1-55750-638-2.
  • Oleszewski, Wes, Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
  • Penrod, John, Lighthouses of Michigan, (Berrien Center, Michigan: Penrod/Hiawatha, 1998) ISBN 978-0-942618-78-5 ISBN 9781893624238.
  • Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes".
  • Putnam, George R., Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
  • United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation, (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
  • Scott T. Price. "U. S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation: A Historical Bibliography". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
  • Wagner, John L. "Beacons Shining in the Night: The Lighthouses of Michigan". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University.
  • Wagner, John L., Michigan Lighthouses: An Aerial Photographic Perspective, (East Lansing, Michigan: John L. Wagner, 1998) ISBN 1-880311-01-1 ISBN 9781880311011.
  • Wargin, Ed, Legends of Light: A Michigan Lighthouse Portfolio (Ann Arbor Media Group, 2006). ISBN 978-1-58726-251-7.
  • Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3
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