In 1897, the Army Corp. of Engineers dredged the shipping channel leading toToledo Harbor, making the passage deeper and wider. This improvement permitted deep-water freighters to reach Toledo, and soon the federal government decided a lighthouse was needed to improve navigation in this heavily traveled area. This new light would be located at the mouth of Maumee Bay, replacing the nearby Turtle Island Lighthouse, built in 1831.

Construction of Toledo Harbor Lighthouse began in 1901. Since there was no outcropping of rock to use as a foundation, the Army Corps of Engineers devised a creative way to build the light in the middle of Lake Erie. They sunk a large crib, filled it with stone, and then topped the portion above with water with a concrete base to create an artificial island.

Toledo Harbor Lighthouse with fog horn visible Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard

The engineers next put steel frames in place, providing stability for a three-story brick lighthouse and an attached one story fog signal building. A Romanesque design was chosen, and soon a dwelling large enough for one keeper and two assistants stood 69 feet high. A cylindrical tower, with a diameter of thirteen feet, projects upward from the center of the dwelling’s roof and is crowned with a lantern room measuring eight feet, six inches, in diameter. Helical bars separate the glass panes in the lantern room, which is topped by onion dome. The lantern room, situated at a focal plane of 72 feet, originally housed an unusual 3 ½-order Fresnel lens manufactured by Barbier & Benard of Paris. The lens featured a 180-degree bull's-eye, two smaller 60-degree bull's-eyes and a ruby red half cylinder of glass, and when revolved produced two white flashes followed by a single red flash. A suspended weight was used to rotate the lens, which first sent forth its penetrating beams of light on the night of May 23, 1904.

By 1966, an electric motor had been installed to rotate the lens, allowing the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse to operate with little human intervention. The last Coast Guard crew could then be remove, but not before measures were taken to prevent vandalism of the now keeperless lighthouse. The ingenious security system came in the form of a fully-uniformed mannequin, stationed in one of the upper windows of the dwelling. Originally appearing as a man with a penciled moustache, the mannequin later sported a long blonde wig. Ghost stories that tell of a phantom lighthouse keeper at Toledo Harbor can usually be traced back to this figure. Even though it sits motionless, some swear that it has beckoned to them from the window. The mannequin has become part of the Coast Guard's tradition, and new officers stationed at Toledo consider it a rite of passage to sign its shirt.

Toledo Harbor Lighthouse is still an active aid to navigation, as many commercial ships continue to pass through the channel. The federal government maintains ownership of the site, and it is not open to the public. Sometime during the late 1990s the original Fresnel lens was removed and eventually placed on display at the COSI museum in Toledo. In its place is a 300 mm lens, fed by solar cells. Twice a year, U. S. Coast Guardsmen visit the lighthouse to clean and service the lens, solar panel and backup batteries. In 2008, the Fresnel lens was relocated to Quilter Lodge in Maumee Bay State Park, from where, on clear days, the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse can also be seen.

The Toledo Harbor Lighthouse’s hundredth birthday in 2004 has inspired those who love the lighthouse to take measures to ensure that it will continue to guide mariners in the future. The Toledo Harbor Lighthouse Preservation Society has been formed to work for preservation and restoration of the lighthouse. Some members of the society have even suggested turning it into a restaurant and inn. Renovating the light will cost approximately $2.5 million. U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) has joined in the fundraising efforts, securing a $500,000 grant from the U. S. Department of Energy to help provide power for the project. The solar cells currently feeding the light will be supplemented with wind-generated energy and a geothermal heating and cooling system. The construction of a breakwall has also been proposed. Once completed, it would increase the radius of the island by 100 feet, providing space for a wind turbine generator and a safe harbor for boats to dock. A well system is already in place to provide drinkable water.

Proponents of the renovation argue that it will promote alternative forms of energy and help generate tourist dollars. They are also confident that it will take minimal effort to return the lighthouse to the condition it was in when it had a full-time keeper. The structure is built so soundly, in fact, that a maintenance log kept inside the front door has remained totally dry over the years. The lighthouse will keep its early 1900s style, down to the cast-iron lining the staircase and decorating the exterior. Even the arched windows that have been filled in with brick over the years will be fitted with glass, restoring them to their original splendor.

In 2005, the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse Preservation Society submitted an application to receive ownership of the lighthouse under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. The U.S. Secretary of the Interior approved the application in October of 2006, and the deed was officially turned over to the group in April of 2007. With the help of the society, Toledo Harbor Lighthouse will continue to shine its light at the mouth of Maumee Bay well into its second century.

The Toledo Lighthouse Society raised $40,000 through a grant, proceeds from their annual Toledo Lighthouse Festival and individual donors to install an aluminum dock and ramp at the lighthouse in the fall of 2008 to permit public access. Sandy Bihn, president of the society, was concerned the dock might be damaged by ice floes, but it survived the winter fine only to disappear in April of 2009. The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association and Toledo Lighthouse Society quickly offered a $1,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the expected perpetrators. When society members arrived by boat at the lighthouse for a work project on July 1, 2009, they noticed their anchor struck something as it was being lowered. Divers were called in, and the whereabouts of the missing 4-foot by 40-foot ramp was soon determined. The 8-foot by 28-foot dock is still missing, which will delay public visits to the lighthouse.

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References

1. "Lighthouse May Beckon Tourists: Dining, Inn Proposed for Site," Toledo Blade, 2003.
2. "Toledo Harbor,"Midwest Connection, 2003.

The Fresnel lens from the lighthouse can be viewed in the Quilter Lodge at Maumee Bay State Park .