The Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Light was built in 1925 and sits in Fairport Harbor, Ohio at the mouth of the Grand River.  It was constructed to replace the original Fairport Harbor Lighthouse, which now serves as a marine museum. The original Fairport Harbor lighthouse protected the shore and directed mariners for 100 years before being falling into disrepair.  In June 1917, Congress appropriated $42,000 for the construction of a new breakwater light.  That funding included monies that would be used to demolish the original lighthouse.  However, the reality of destroying the older lighthouse didn’t sit well with the citizens of Fairport and as a result, the Secretary of Commerce agreed to let the old lighthouse remain.  

Despite having Congressional funding to begin, the outbreak of World War I delayed construction for several years.  Constructed in Buffalo, New York, the iron frame was made of steel studding, floor beams, rafters, side and roof plating, cast-iron cornices, sills and lintels, which were riveted and bolted permanently together.  This prefabricated section was secured by steel cables and transported aboard the steamer Wotan, 147 miles to Fairport Harbor.  Once in Ohio, the interior mason and finish work was completed and the lantern room and lens were installed. On June 9, 1925, the Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Lighthouse was illuminated for the first time.

Today:

The National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 (NHLPA), an amendment to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, provides a mechanism for the disposal of federally-owned historic light stations.  It also recognizes the “cultural, recreational, and educational value associated with historic light station properties” and makes these properties initially available at no cost to federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit corporations, educational agencies, and community development organizations education, park, recreation, cultural or historic preservation purposes for the general public.  If no suitable organization is found, the General Services Administration conducts online auctions for these lighthouses.

As a result, in 2005, the Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Lighthouse was deemed surplus government property by the U.S. Coast Guard.  Under the terms of disposition of this unique and historic type of surplus government property, the lighthouse was first offered at no cost to eligible organizations such as federal, state, and local agencies, non-profit corporations, and educational organizations.  Despite the application period being extended, no qualified organizations came forth, so the lighthouse was auctioned off by the General Services Administration beginning in 2009.  Several unsuccessful auctions were held until the lighthouse was bought in August 2011 by a private citizen.  It is now being restored and will be used as a summer vacation home.

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• First lighthouse - Boston, MA (1716)
• Oldest original lighthouse in service - Sandy Hook, NJ (1764)
• Newest shoreside lighthouse - Charleston, SC (1962)
• Only triangular-shaped lighthouse tower - Charleston, SC (1962)
• Only lighthouse equipped with an elevator - Charleston, SC (1962)
• Tallest lighthouse - Cape Hatteras, NC (191 ft)
• First American-built West Coast lighthouse - Alcatraz Lighthouse (1854)
• First lighthouse to use electricity - Statue of Liberty (1886)
• First Great Lakes lighthouses - Buffalo, NY & Erie, PA (1818)
• Most expensive lighthouse (adjusted cost) - St. George’s Reef, CA (1891)
• First lighthouse built completely by the Federal Government - Montauk Point, NY (1797)
• Founding of the U.S. Lighthouse Service - 7 August 1789
• U.S. Lighthouse Service merged with the Coast Guard - 7 July 1939
• Second most powerful lighthouse in the world (and most powerful in the Western Hemisphere) - Charleston, SC (1962)

Women Lighthouse Keepers

Breaking the Barrier: Women Lighthouse Keepers & Other Female Employees of the U.S. Lighthouse Board/Service

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One of the first non-clerical U.S. government jobs that were open to women were positions as lighthouse keepers, although others did serve in staff positions at the various district and headquarter offices. Typically those appointed as keepers were actually the spouse of the assistant or head keeper; they assumed these professional duties to assist their spouse or took over when their husbands became ill and/or died. Nevertheless, many of these intrepid widows, and women appointed in their own right, served their country for many years with distinction in a time when employment for women was extremely limited. They were true trailblazers.

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IMPORTANT LINKS:

Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Lighthouse is located at Headlands Beach State Park, Mentor, OH.

Read about the sale of Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Lighthouse in the News-Herald

Fairport Harbor Lighthouse Museum

Lake County, OH Historical Society

Tour Ohio

Ohio State Historical Society

Lighthouse History

YouTube Video