First Ashtabula Lighthouse

On August 2, 1871, the federal government purchased two lots at Ashtabula Harbor to build a home for the lighthouse keeper. Construction of the dwelling began during the spring of the following year, and the wooden home was soon ready for the light keeper and his family. Over two decades later, in 1898, the government built an addition on the dwelling’s eastern side, converting the structure into a duplex to house the head and assistant keepers and their families.

In 1876, a new lighthouse was built at Ashtabula, this time on the west pierhead due to the construction of new dock facilities. The tower received a fourth-order Fresnel lens and a fixed red light in 1896, at which time a first class siren fog signal was also added. The pyramidal lighthouse served the harbor for almost thirty years.

Civilian keepers continued to tend the lighthouse into the beginning of the twentieth century. Living in the house on Walnut Boulevard, they looked after the beacon faithfully, alternating duties at the lighthouse and making relief trips by boat.

In 1905, Ashtabula River was widened and a breakwall was built to protect the harbor. A third lighthouse, the one still in use today, was built atop the new breakwater. Originally, the lighthouse was located approximately 2,500 feet north of the river entrance and the 1876 lighthouse. The new light stood 40 feet high and was made of steel and iron. The river-widening project left the old lighthouse 60 feet out into the river and away from the pier. Both lights were accessible by boat only.

In 1915, the 1905 stone breakwall was extended, and a year later, the lighthouse was moved to its present site, approximately 1,750 feet NNE of its previous site. The lighthouse was doubled in size making it large enough to house the light keepers. According to the Coast Guard, a new fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed in the tower the same year, and a radio beacon tower was built next to the lighthouse.

Present Ashtabula Lighthouse Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard

Though the lighthouse was renovated and expanded, it was still vulnerable to Lake Erie’s ships and her elements. In 1927, the steamer Gleneagles of the Canadian Steamship Lines rammed into the structure, driving it back six inches. Surprisingly, no one was hurt, although the ship sustained major damage. A more famous story is that of two keepers stationed at Ashtabula during the winter of 1928. A severe storm encapsulated the lighthouse in ice, trapping them inside for two days. The men eventually thawed the door open but then had to tunnel through five feet of ice to reach freedom.

Noel “Buck” Price served as keeper at Ashtabula during the early 1950’s. He was only 19 years old and stood watch on a six-on and six-off schedule. While on watch, he was responsible for checking and reporting weather conditions to the Cleveland Weather Bureau, who then broadcasted the information to merchant and commercial ships sailing Lake Erie’s waters. Price recalls that when visibility would get down to several hundred yards, he and his fellow light keepers would turn on the fog signal. The lamp was turned on at dusk and off at dawn. Much of Price’s off-duty time was spent reading, playing ping-pong, shooting baskets in a miniature hoop, swimming, fishing or listening to an AM radio. There were three keepers in his attachment, and two of them would spend six days on the light and three days off on a rotational basis. They had to carry their own fresh drinking water and food supplies to the light. At times, the lake was too rough for their liberty boat to land, forcing the keepers to extend their stay at the lighthouse.

A foghorn was also installed in the lighthouse in 1959. It blew two blasts every minute, and although the beacon light was now electric, operation of the foghorn required human intervention. In addition to the foghorn, the light station used a radio to transmit a dash-dash-dot signal at a specific period. These aids proved invaluable to the ships sailing in and out of the harbor.

The lighthouse no longer sits at the end of the west breakwater, as the breakwall has been extended several more yards. A white tower with a red band now marks the end of the breakwater, while an hourglass-shaped tower with a green band marks the end of the breakwater on the opposite of the harbor's entrance.

The Ashtabula Lighthouse remained manned by the Coast Guard until 1973. At that time, it was the last remaining manned light on Lake Erie. That same year, the keeper’s residence, which was serving as Coast Guard housing, was deeded over to the City of Ashtabula. The city’s original plan was to convert the dwelling into a “Western Reserve and Marine History Museum,” commemorating early Indian life. However, due to a lack of sufficient funds the property defaulted back to the federal government in 1976.

In 1982, the Ashtabula Jaycees and the Ashtabula Marine Museum Committee were awarded the building from the General Services Administration (GSA). The Ashtabula Marine Museum was officially dedicated on June 2, 1984, and was opened to the public later that year. The museum features a pictorial history of the city, as well as a collection of ship models and the pilothouse from the steamer Thomas Walters.

In 1995, a modern optic was installed in the lighthouse, and its Fresnel lens was removed and placed on exhibit at the Ashtabula Marine Museum. Formed in 2003, the Ashtabula Lighthouse Restoration and Preservation Society applied for ownership of the lighthouse when it was made available under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in 2004. Ownership of the structure was officially transferred to the society during a ceremony held May 6, 2007. The society has a five-year plan to fully restore the lighthouse, but plans on having it ready for tours sometime in 2008.

Photo Gallery: 1 2

References

1. May Collings, Ashtabula Harbor Historian
2. Robert G. Frisbie, Ashtabula Marine Museum Trustee and Ashtabula Lighthouse Historian.

You can hike the breakwater to the lighthouse, but the blocks in the breakwater are VERY uneven making for an arduous and potentially dangerous journey. If you decide to attempt the trek, take a cell phone with you in case you need assistance. To reach the breakwater, go west on Walnut Boulevard from the Marine Museum, and then turn right on Lake Avenue and follow it to Walnut Beach Park.

The fourth-order Fresnel lens used in the Ashtabula Lighthouse is on display at the museum.