Illuminating information about Presque Isle, Erie Land and other lighthouses
Lighthouses have provided safety for ships, boats and virtually all watercraft for ages. Today, they still help mariners reach their ports even with new and modern equipment such as GPS and detailed charts, buoys and radar beacons available. However, today they serve as romantic relics of another era. As a former boat owner, I have used the Presque Isle Lighthouse and the North Pier Light to bring me in during bad weather and at night.
As of 2021: Erie Land Lighthouse, Presque Isle Lighthouse opening for tours, visitors allowed to climb towers
What follows are a few bits of information about lighthouses.
The Erie Land Lighthouse was the first on Lake Erie and opened one day before the Buffalo, New York, lighthouse.
There are four official lighthouses in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Three are in Erie (two are still active), and one is on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, which is not active.
The United States has more lighthouses than any other country.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built around 280 BCE. For years it was one of the tallest structures in the world. It was more than 350 feet high before a series of earthquakes destroyed it sometime in the 14th century.
The first lighthouse in the U.S. was built in 1716 on Little Brewster Island near Boston. Today there are more than 700 lighthouses in the U.S.
The state with the most lighthouses is not on the ocean but within the Great Lakes ― Michigan. It is the home of 170 lighthouses.
Over the years, there have been many sources for illumination in lighthouses. Some are open fires and candles, followed by Argand hollow wick lamps and parabolic reflectors in the 18th century. Then they began to burn whale oil and later converted it to kerosene in 1870.
The first lighthouse built by the U.S. on the west coast was on Alcatraz Island.
The most expensive lighthouse to be built was in Crescent City, California, at the cost of $715,000, and it took 10 years to complete. St. George Reef was abandoned in 1972 by the Coast Guard.
The oldest existing lighthouse in America is Sandy Hook. It was built by a cooperative effort of shipping interests in New York City in June 1764. To do so, they sold many lottery tickets.
Do you know that a manned lighthouse needs one to five keepers to oversee its running?
In 1828, a wooden tower was erected at the far eastern end of the channel pier into Presque Isle Bay. Within two years, a beacon light was placed at the top of the tower; this light was powered by whale oil and constantly attended by a keeper. Mariners used this new light to locate the channel against the nearly black shoreline. At the time, it was called Tower Beacon Light.
Every lighthouse emits a distinctive series of flashes known as its characteristic. These flashes let mariners know where they are on the water.
Many lighthouses are also equipped with a horn to help guide ships in foggy weather. They make their sound by quickly releasing air and can be heard for up to 8 miles.
The newest lighthouse in America is the Shoreside Lighthouse on Sullivan Island in Charleston, South Carolina. It was built in 1962 and had the only elevator in a lighthouse.
The tallest lighthouse, at 196 feet, is the Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, Lighthouse. It was built in 1854.
Gene Ware is the author of 10 books. He serves on the board of the Presque Isle Light Station and is past chairman of the boards of the Tom Ridge Center Foundation and the Presque Isle Partnership. Email him at ware906@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: PA has 4 official lighthouses, and other illuminating facts
