Harbor Beach Light
Undated USCG photo
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| Location | Northside breakwater Harbor Beach, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 43°50′42″N 82°37′54″W / 43.84500°N 82.63167°WCoordinates: 43°50′42″N 82°37′54″W / 43.84500°N 82.63167°W |
| Year first constructed | 1858 |
| Year first lit | 1885 |
| Automated | 1968 |
| Construction | Cast iron, brick lining |
| Tower shape | Frustum of a cone |
| Markings / pattern | White with red roof on lantern |
| Height | 45 feet (14 m) |
| Focal height | 54 feet (16 m) |
| Original lens | Fourth-order Fresnel lens |
| Current lens | VRB-25 acrylic |
| Intensity | 20,000 candlepower |
| Range | Red 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi), white 19 nautical miles (35 km; 22 mi) |
| Characteristic | Al WR 10s |
| Fog signal | HORN: 1 blast ev 30s (3s bl). Operational remotely all year. |
| ARLHS number | USA-365 |
| USCG number |
7-10130 |
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Harbor Beach Lighthouse
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Michigan Historic Landmark
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| Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
| Built | 1884 |
| MPS | U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TR |
| NRHP reference # | 83000850 |
| Added to NRHP | August 04, 1983 |
| Heritage | place listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
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7-10130
The Harbor Beach Lighthouse is a "sparkplug lighthouse" located at the end of the north breakwall entrance to the harbor of refuge on Lake Huron. The breakwall and light were created by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to protect the harbor of Harbor Beach, Michigan, which is the largest man-made freshwater harbor in the world. Harbor Beach is located on the eastern edge of the Thumb of Huron County, in the state of Michigan.
Prior to the 1900s, this port was a major harbor of refuge and was the home of one of the most active lifesaving crews on Lake Huron. In the 1880s, a massive breakwater extension was constructed and many lake boats took shelter. Dozens of shipwrecks lie around the area, evidence of the boats that tried, but did not make, the shelter.
Since 1885, the Harbor Beach Breakwater Lighthouse has been an area of refuge to ships caught in the fury of Mother Nature and Lake Huron during stormy seas. This lighthouse replaced the wood skeleton lighthouse which was built in 1877.
The new lighthouse was built on a timber foundation crib. It is a conical, brick structure encased in cast iron plates. The building was originally painted brown; it thereafter went through iterations where it had a black parapet and lantern. At the top a round cast-iron watch room supports a ten-sided, cast iron lantern. The light sits 54 feet (16 m) above the harbor and can be seen for up to 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi) out to sea. A concrete cap, partially faced with brick veneer, supports the 45-foot (14 m) tower. Below the brick veneer, extending to the lake bottom is a timber cribbing filled with 100 to 300 pounds (45 to 136 kg) stones, which provides the necessary counterweight needed to prevent the structure from overturning or sliding.
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Wikipedia