Port Huron in St. Clair County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Fort Gratiot Light
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, August 15, 2022
1. Fort Gratiot Light Marker
In 1825, a lighthouse was established near the mouth of the St. Clair River, at the southern end of Lake Huron. It sat just north of Fort Gratiot, a military outpost that would give the lighthouse its name. That light, of poor construction and location, crumbled during a September storm in 1828.
Bids were soon offered for the replacement of the light, and in 1829 Lucius Lyon received the contract to build the new tower for a price of $4,445. The new tower's location was moved a half mile north of the original tower, which would prove more visible by the mariners navigating on the lake. The tower and keeper's dwelling were completed in late winter of 1829.
Since 1829, a few changes have taken place. The tower height was raised from 65 feet to 82 feet in 1862 and in 2011, a massive restoration effort replaced 35,000 damaged bricks on the outer shell of the tower.
The Fort Gratiot Lighthouse is the oldest in the State of Michigan and the second oldest in all the Great Lakes.
[Photos of lighthouse in]
1870, 1904, 1913, 1945, 2011
Erected by Port Huron Museum, Saint Clair County, Michigan Dept of Environmental Quality, and NOAA.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications
this page online
Location. 43° 0.4′ N, 82° 25.347′ W. Marker is in Port Huron, Michigan, in St. Clair County. Marker is about 125 feet north of the lighthouse at Fort Gratiot Light Station County Park, where Lake Huron empties into the St. Clair River. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2800 Omar Street, Port Huron MI 48060, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Seeing the Light (here, next to this marker); The Storm (here, next to this marker); Learning from Lake Huron (here, next to this marker); Sending a Signal (here, next to this marker); Keepers Duties (here, next to this marker); U.S. Coast Guard (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Fort Gratiot Light (about 500 feet away); Great Storm of 1913 and Sailors Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Huron.
Also see . . .
1. Fort Gratiot Lighthouse. Port Huron Museums website entry (Submitted on August 8, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 5, 2014
2. Fort Gratiot Light Marker
2. Fort Gratiot Light Station: A St. Clair County Park. Park brochure PDF (Submitted on August 8, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Fort Gratiot Lighthouse. US Lighthouses website entry (Submitted on August 8, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
4. Legendary Lighthouses. PBS website entry (Submitted on August 8, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr.
3. Fort Gratiot Lighthouse and Markers
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr.
4. Fort Gratiot Lighthouse
Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 8, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 488 times since then and 23 times this year. Last updated on February 20, 2024, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on August 20, 2022, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 8, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
