Port Clinton Light Station

Port Clinton Light Station. . One of the earliest lighthouses on Lake Erie, Port Clinton's first lighthouse was a forty-foot split-stone tower erected at mouth of the Portage River in 1833. A detached stone dwelling provided living quarters for the lighthouse keeper and his family. This light was discontinued in 1870 due to it's poor location and a lack of river traffic, but a growing fishing and tourism industry in the late 19th Century led to the rerouting of the river and construction of a new lighthouse in 1896. This pier light ensured safe passage in and out of the Portage River, a kerosene lamp and fifth order Fresnel lens providing a fixed red light visible for eight miles. A two-story wood home replaced the old stone dwelling, and a boathouse was built at the south end of the east pier to facilitate access to the lighthouse. Converted to electricity in 1926, the light continued to operate until 1952. Although the keeper's dwelling and boathouse have not survived, the old 1896 lighthouse was meticulously restored by the Port Clinton Lighthouse Conservancy and moved to this site in 2016. It stands today as the last remaining timber-frame lighthouse on Lake Erie, a living testament to a colorful maritime past.