Sand Point Light facts for kids
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| Sand Point Lighthouse | |
| Location | Escanaba, Delta County Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 45°45′N 87°02′W / 45.750°N 87.033°W |
| Year first constructed | 1867 |
| Year first lit | 1868 |
| Deactivated | 1939 |
| Foundation | natural/emplaced |
| Construction | brick |
| Tower shape | square tower with octagonal lantern |
| Markings / pattern | white w black parapet & lantern, red roofs |
| Height | 44 feet (13 m) |
| Focal height | 44 feet (13 m) |
| Original lens | Fourth order Fresnel Lens |
| Current lens | Fourth order Fresnel Lens (replica) |
| Range | 13 miles (21 km) |
| Characteristic | white light, 3 s on, 3 s off |
| ARLHS number | USA-726 |
The Sand Point Lighthouse is in Escanaba, Michigan, United States. It stands on the northern shore of Lake Michigan. Since 1989, it has helped guide ships, even though it's not officially listed as a main navigation aid.
Today, the lighthouse has been restored and is open to visitors in the summer. People also know it as the Escanaba/Sand Point (Little Bay de Noc) Light or simply the Escanaba Light. There are actually two lighthouses named Sand Point in Michigan. The other one is in Baraga.
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History of the Lighthouse
Escanaba became a town in 1863 and grew very quickly. It became an important port for shipping goods. In 1864, the Peninsula Railroad was finished. This railroad connected Escanaba to the iron mines in the Upper Peninsula.
Large docks were built in Escanaba's harbor. Shipping iron ore to steel mills around the Great Lakes became the town's main business. As more ships came and went, a lighthouse was needed. It would guide ships safely into the harbor. It would also warn them about dangerous sand shoals. These sand shoals reached out into Little Bay de Noc from Sand Point.
The United States Lighthouse Service approved building the Sand Point Lighthouse. It cost $11,000 to build. Construction started in the fall of 1867. It was finished in early spring 1868. The light first shone on the night of May 13, 1868.
The Sand Point Lighthouse is a rectangular building with one and a half stories. It has a brick tower attached to it. On top of the tower is a cast iron lantern room. Inside, there is a fourth-order Fresnel lens. This lens sent out a steady red light that could be seen from about 11.5 miles (18.5 km) away.
Something unique about this lighthouse is that its tower faces the land. Most lighthouses have their towers facing the water. No one knows if this was done on purpose or if it was a mistake.
John Terry was chosen as the first lighthouse keeper in December 1867. Sadly, he became very ill and passed away in April 1868. This was just a month before the lighthouse was ready to open. Since there was no keeper, John Terry's wife, Mary, was chosen for the job. She became one of the first female lighthouse keepers on the Great Lakes.
Mary Terry was well-liked in the community. She did her job very well and with great care. She was the lighthouse keeper from 1868 to 1886. In 1886, a fire badly damaged the lighthouse, and sadly, Mary Terry passed away. The lighthouse was so damaged that it took almost two months to fix. A new keeper, Lewis Rose, took over.
Over the years, the Sand Point Lighthouse changed several times. A big change happened in 1913. The lighthouse was connected to the city's electricity. This meant the old kerosene lamp was replaced with an electric light bulb.
The Coast Guard Takes Over
From 1868 to 1939, nine different lighthouse keepers and their families lived in the Sand Point Lighthouse. In 1939, the United States Coast Guard took over all navigational lights in the country. They took over from the National Lighthouse Service.
The Coast Guard built a new automated light several hundred feet offshore. This new light took over the job of the Sand Point Lighthouse. The old lighthouse was no longer needed to guide ships. The automated light is still used today. You can see it from the tower of the Sand Point Lighthouse.
Even though the lighthouse was no longer active, the Coast Guard used it as housing. Coast Guard sailors assigned to Escanaba lived there. When they used it as a home, the Coast Guard made many changes. They removed the lantern room. They also made the tower ten feet shorter. The roof was raised to create a full second floor. New windows were added, and the whole building was covered in aluminum siding. After these changes, the Sand Point Lighthouse looked very different.
Bringing the Lighthouse Back to Life
The U.S. Coast Guard left the building in 1985. The Delta County Historical Society got the abandoned lighthouse in 1986. They planned to restore it to look like it did originally. They used the original building plans from 1867 to help them. The historical society started a big project to research and raise money.
First, they took off the aluminum siding to show the original brick. The roof was lowered back to its first level. New windows were removed, and the openings were filled with brick. The ten-foot section that was removed from the tower was rebuilt. The original lantern room and lens were gone. So, the historical society had to find new ones.
They found a lantern room on nearby Poverty Island. It had been removed from the Poverty Island Light Station and was sitting on the ground. In 1989, they also got a fourth-order fresnel lens from the Menominee Pier Light. Both the lantern room and the lens were almost exactly like the originals. You can see a photo of the installed lens. To finish the restoration, the lighthouse was painted white. The inside was also restored and furnished to look like it did around the year 1900.
After a special ceremony in July 1990, the restored Sand Point Lighthouse opened to the public. Every year, the lighthouse is open from Memorial Day to October 1. Visitors can climb the tower. They can imagine what it was like to be a lighthouse keeper over 100 years ago. There is a small fee to enter.
The lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Its reference number is #97001474. It is also on the state's list of historic sites since 1989.
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