Visited a Lighthouse! Muskegon South Pierhead Lighthouse

If you read this blog regularly, you know that I highlight something local to us here in Maine. This time, it's about a lighthouse, and NOT in Maine, but Michigan!  Tom recently took a business trip to Michigan and was working around Lake Michigan, so we're highlighting this cool place.

(Photo: Muskegon South Pierhead Lighthouse. Credit: T.W.) 

ABOUT THE MUSKEGON SOUTH PIERHEAD LIGHTHOUSE - Located in Muskegon, MI at the outer end of the south pier on Lake Michigan. Built in 1903, the Muskegon South Pierhead Light has lit the sandy shores of Lake Michigan for over a century. It's 1 of 2 lights on the pier.  If you want to visit, it's open annually May-October.  

HISTORY - In 1851, several lighthouses once stood on the pier. Today only the 1903 South Pierhead Lighthouse and the 1931 Breakwater Lighthouse remain. The keeper’s residence was razed in the early 1970s to make way for a new U.S. Coast Guard station and a historic 1905 U.S. Life-Saving Station has been converted into a NOAA facility at the base of the pier.

(Photo: Muskegon South Pierhead Lighthouse historic sign. Credit: T.W.) 

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ABOUT THE AREA - Muskegon is a lakeshore community located on Michigan’s western shore just about directly across Lake Michigan from Milwaukee, WI and about one-third of the way up Michigan’s lower left hand from the Indiana State line.

HOW TO GET TO THEM - The lighthouses are located next to Muskegon's Pere Marquette Park and the South Breakwater light is accessed directly from the beach and the South Pierhead light is accessed through the NOAA Lake Michigan Field Station property adjacent to the South Pierhead through a designated pedestrian path painted yellow on the pavement.

ON THE NATIONAL HISTORIC REGISTER - On November 17, 2005 the South Pierhead Light’s contribution to Great Lakes navigation was recognized with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2006, the South Breakwater Light followed suit. 

(Photo: Pier at the Muskegon South Pierhead Lighthouse. Credit: T.W.) 

TRANSFERRED FROM COAST GUARD TO PRESERVATION GROUP - In June of 2008, the Muskegon South Pierhead and South Breakwater Lighthouses, deemed excess by the Coast Guard, were offered at no cost to eligible entities, including federal, state and local agencies, non-profit corporations, educational agencies, or community development organizations. On June 17, 2010, it was announced that Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, a lighthouse and Life-Saving Service preservation group, was the new owner of the South Pierhead Light and the South Breakwater Light.

PLANS FOR THE LIGHTHOUSE REHABILITATION - According to Muskegon Lights Org, eventual plans will not only include restoration and rehabilitation of the lights, but to also allow people to be able to climb to the top of the South Pierhead lighthouse for a panoramic view of the scenic stretches of shoreline and the channel. 

 YOU CAN DONATE TO SAVE THE LIGHTHOUSES- https://muskegonlights.org/about-the-lights/