Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse

Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse. . , After a ninety mile trip up Lake Huron, in April of 1848, Peter and Catharine Shook, with their eight children, saw their new home. Out of the thick forest there was a three acre opening containing a house with a twenty-eight foot detached tower. The structures were built out of stones and rocks from the shoreline and Lake. The house was barely adequate for 10 people. Peter Shook, first Keeper at Pointe aux Baques, drowned a year later. That allowed Catharine to be appointed one of the few female keepers, serving until 1851., In 1873, the lighthouse received a new 3rd order Fresnel Lens which warned mariners of the dangerous reef around the point for 12 to 14 miles into the Lake. Installation of electricity in the facility in 1932 pushed the light 18 to 20 miles into the Lake. The Lens was in the tower from 1873 until 1969, when it was replaced by two DCB-224 Aero Beacons. The Lens was returned to the Lighthouse in 2013 where it is on view in the museum. The aero beacons were removed in 2014 and replaced with an LED fixture. The Aero beacons are, also, on display in the Museum., By 1857, the original Light House that stood 100ft South of the current location, had deteriorated badly and was replaced by the attached tower that is still in service today., Lighthouse Keepers Duties , .Fuel the lamp by hand carrying the fuel up to the lantern room. , .Trim wicks, replace the mantles and pump up the oil vaporizer. , .Regularly clean and polish the glass chimney, lenses and windows, using jeweler's rouge and whiting. , .Polish the vast amounts of brass fittings and tools. , .Light and extinguish the lamp, as it was wasteful and unnecessary to burn it by day. , .Monitor the light and nearby ships at night. , .Close the lantern room curtains by day to prevent damage from the magnified sunlight through the lens, and discoloration of the lens glass. , .Clean and lubricate the clockwork. , .Paint the structure , .Routine maintenance and repairs of all buildings. , .Greet and sometimes ledge visitors and inspectors. , .Write reports, keep records, and order supplies., Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse had 10 Keepers who served from 1848 1939. Seven of the Keepers served in the first 15 years, attesting to the difficult conditions in this isolated area., The Lighthouse survived the fire of 1871, the fire of 1881, the Storm of 1913, the Armistice Day Storm of 1937 and everything else Mother Nature could throw at the station.