Iron pierhead light in 1904 Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard

Around the beginning of the nineteenth century, another trading post was opened along the river, this time by a Canadian Frenchman. Areas along both the Huron River and Lake Erie continued to grow, and soon Huron, east of Sandusky, had become a large settlement. By 1824, a small boarding house and several logs cabins had been built, one of them being the home of Huron’s first shipbuilder. Other shipbuilders followed, and the steamboat Delaware was completed at Huron in 1834. Two years later it would be lost during a violent summer storm on Lake Michigan. Though its passengers and crew would survive, the boat itself suffered irreparable damages.

As commerce increased at Huron, so too did the need for a navigational aid at the port. The first Huron Harbor Lighthouse was built in 1835 on the west pier. A pyramidal tower constructed of wood, the light was not durable enough to withstand the wind and weather of Lake Erie, and it met an unfortunate end during a fierce storm in May 1854. Three years later, a new light was built. This time it was constructed of iron, and was fully enclosed.

By the 1930’s, it was determined that a new light should be built at Huron Harbor. The end of the breakwater, which had been extended to almost one mile offshore, was chosen as the site. In 1936, F. P. Dillon and W. G. Will built Huron Harbor Lighthouse where it stands today. A reflection of the artistic style of the 1930’s, the Art Deco light consists of a square, cylindrical tower on a square fog building. It stands 72 feet high and is made of white steel plates on a concrete foundation. Its “sister” lighthouse was built by Dillon and Will that same year at Conneaut, approximately 120 miles northeast. Huron Harbor Lighthouse originally had a lantern room on top, but no keeper’s dwelling at all.

Huron Harbor Lighthouse with lantern room Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard

Instead, the light was operated by remote control from the west pier light, and eventually from a building on shore. It was one of Lake Erie's first electrically powered beacons. With this new light in place on the breakwater, and the old light on the west pier still in operation, a range light system was formed. The breakwater light was the front range light, and the west pier light was the rear range light.

The west pier light was eventually removed, leaving only the breakwater light, which was automated in 1972. The lantern room was removed, and a modern beacon consisting of a solar-powered 375mm lens was installed. Still in use today, the light has a focal plane of 80 feet, can be seen over a twelve-mile radius, and flashes a red light with a characteristic of three seconds on followed by three seconds off. Its fog signal horn is now electrical.

At the mouth of the Huron River, two slips capable of accommodating large lake freighters have been constructed. The Huron Harbor Lighthouse guides the mighty freighters into the safe confines of the breakwaters where their cargos of coal, iron ore, and grain can be safely loaded and unloaded.

The Huron Harbor breakwater is frequently used as a fishing pier, and the dredge spoil adjacent to it is being transformed by the Army Corps of Engineers into a 64-acre island that will be a town park. The square cement foundation, which was home to the original Huron Harbor Lighthouse and marks the end of the old breakwater, is still clearly evident as you stroll out to the modern light.

References

1. “Huron Harbor Lighthouse,” Lake Erie Coastal Ohio.
2. Huron Harbor Lighthouse Historical Marker