Oak Orchard Lighthouse & Point Breeze

Oak Orchard Lighthouse and Point Breeze. . , History of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse and Point Breeze , , Timeline 1830 - Dedication , 1835 First funds were appropriated to begin creating a safe, accessible harbor , 1837 Construction of west pier was begun , 1848 Schooner Milan sank off Oak Orchard Harbor. , Ca. 1850 Wooden schooners like this one seen in the Oak Orchard Harbor were built at the Murray Shipyards at what is now Point Breeze, , 1857 Tavern now known as the Black North was built. , 1867 Piers were extended and harbor dredged. , 1879-1871 Original Oak Orchard Lighthouse constructed at the end of the west pier. Cost $4,000 including Lighthouse Keeper's house. , ca. 1900 Early sailing vessels sailed into Oak Orchard Harbor. , 1909 Government Survey of Lighthouse completed indicating lighting equipment still on location in the Lighthouse. , 1911 Orleans House hotel destroyed by fire. , 1914 Lighthouse permanently discontinued, May 1. , 1916 Lighthouse was destroyed by a winter storm in December 1916. , Ca. 1920 Lakeland Hotel was built on the site of the earlier Orleans House. , Ca. 1925 During the Prohibition Era, bootleg Canadian whiskey was brought by boat into the Oak Orchard Harbor , 1935 Snipe racing became popular. Oak Orchard Snipe Fleet was established. Continued in popularity into the 1950s , 1839 Oak Orchard Yacht Club formed at Point Breeze , 1942 Lakeland Dining Hall and House of Mystery (owned by Wingharts) destroyed by fire , 1949 First Oak Orchard Yacht Club property purchased from Mary Winghart, owner of Winghart (Lakeland) Hotel. , 1973 New Piers and a breakwall were built by Army Corp of Engineers Oak Orchard , 2003 Lighthouse Committee formed to rebuild Lighthouse. , 2010 Historically accurate replica of Oak Orchard Lighthouse was dedicated and opened to the public , 2010 LED Navigational light was donated by the Oak Orchard Yacht Club. , 2012 Memorial Brick Walkway and sandstone benches were installed, Light Source , The Fifth Order lens was used in smaller harbor lights that lead the mariner into the channel at the entrance of a harbor mouth. It was also frequently used on rivers and in harbors to mark shoals and islands. This was one of the most commonly used lenses on the Great Lakes. This type of lens, a fixed, 360°, non-flashing light was used in the original Oak Orchard Lighthouse. The light pictured does not show the five-day tank attachment. The fifth order lantern of the Lighthouse consists of the upper portion that houses the light source. The light source used in the Oak Orchard Lighthouse consisted of a fifth-order kerosene burner with a single round wick and a five-day tank attachment. The burner was housed in a 360° lens lantern manufactured by Barbier, Bernard and Turenne (Paris, France)., The Fuel Building , The Fuel Building was located on shore near the origin of the West pier. It was constructed of boiler-plate steel riveted together. This is the only remaining artifact of the Original Oak Orchard Lighthouse having been salvaged by Edward Archbald and was donated to the Cobblestone Museum (c. 1980) at the intersection of Rts. 104 and 98. Kerosene, the typical fuel used during the period of time the Oak Orchard Lighthouse was operating, was stored in the Fuel Building., First Lighthouse Keeper , The first Lighthouse Keeper was John Kelly who served as Keeper from 1871 until sometime after 1891. Kelly and his family lived in the Lighthouse Keeper's House located on the west side of the Oak Orchard River some 1800 ft south of the mouth of the River. , The Lighthouse keeper's house is now a private residence on Archbald Road. John Kelly died in 1901 in Buffalo and is buried at Mt. Albion Cemetery.