Marblehead Lighthouse
Marblehead Lighthouse
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| Location | OH 163, Marblehead, Ohio |
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| Coordinates | 41°32′11.2″N 82°42′42.2″W / 41.536444°N 82.711722°WCoordinates: 41°32′11.2″N 82°42′42.2″W / 41.536444°N 82.711722°W |
| Year first lit | 1822 |
| Automated | 1958 |
| Construction | limestone |
| Tower shape | Pyramidal frustum of a cone tower |
| Markings / pattern | White with red markings, parapet and roof |
| Height | Tower – 50 feet (15 m) |
| Original lens | Fresnel lens |
| Range | 11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi) |
| Characteristic | Green, flashes every 6 seconds |
| ARLHS number | USA-472 |
| USCG number |
7-5250 |
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Marblehead Lighthouse
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| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1820 |
| Architect | Kelley,William |
| Architectural style | Cone Shaped Lighthouse |
| NRHP Reference # | 69000148 |
| Added to NRHP | December 17, 1969 |
7-5250
Marblehead Lighthouse in Marblehead, Ohio, United States, is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the United States side of the Great Lakes. It has guided sailors safely along the rocky shores of Marblehead Peninsula since 1822, and is an active aid to navigation.
In 1819, the fifteenth U. S. Congress recognized the need for navigational aides along the Great Lakes, and set aside $5,000 for construction of a light tower at the entrance to Sandusky Bay. In 1821, contractor William Kelly (assisted by local-area residents Amos Fenn and Wm.B. Smith) built the 50-foot (15 m) tower of native limestone on the tip of the Marblehead Peninsula. The base of the tower is 25 feet (7.6 m) in diameter, with walls 5 feet (1.5 m) thick. It narrows to 12 feet (3.7 m) at the top with 2-foot (0.61 m) thick walls.
Prior to its automation, 15 lighthouse keepers, two of whom were women, have tended the beacon. The first keeper was Benajah Wolcott, a Revolutionary War veteran and one of the first settlers on the peninsula (although from 1819-1821, resided in the City of Sandusky.). After the 1821 completion of the lighthouse and also an adjacent stone "keeper's house", Wolcott and his family moved into that official "keeper's house". Each night, he lit the wicks of the 13 whale oil lamps that were the original light fixture ( composed of multiple sixteen point zero inches (406 mm) diameter metal reflectors which helped project the light across the lake). Other duties of the lighthouse-keeper included compiling a log of passing ships, noting the weather conditions, and organizing rescue efforts. After Wolcott's death in 1832, his wife, Rachel, took over these duties (and afterward, her final husband, Jeremiah VanBenschoter, took over those same duties). In 1858, the whale oil lamps were replaced by the light from a single kerosene lantern magnified by a Fresnel lens; this specialized, curved glass lens created a highly visible, fixed white light. In 1880, the original 1821 stone keeper's-house (adjacent to the lighthouse) was replaced with the present large wood-frame Keeper's House. [ Note: these structures should not be confused with the (so-called) "Keepers' House"/Wolcott House, which is approx.3 miles (4.8 km) distant from the lighthouse.]
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