The Ohio area was opened to European settlers after American commander Mad Anthony Wayne had subdued the Mohawk and the Six Nations Indians and compelled the chieftains to sign the Treaty of Greenville in August 1795. In the century before Wayne’s arrival in the region, the Erie Nation and the Niagara Indians had already been rendered extinct at the hands of the Iroquois Confederation. The British and Americans ended their extended struggle for the Great Lakes in 1818 with the signing of the Rush-Bagot Agreement, which limited military vessels on the waters. Following a century of bloody conflicts, an era of booming trade commenced in the region.

Lake Erie was thus transformed from a stage of maritime battles amongst men of war into a hub of rapidly growing commerce. Storms, burnings, and boiler explosions did not deter traffic crossing Lake Erie, which steadily increased in the 1820s and 1830s. In 1820 there were 120 steamers carrying cargo and immigrants, and by 1831 there were over 2,000.

Many lives were being lost on Lake Erie, which was famous for its darkness, sudden gales, mist and fog, and general capriciousness. Ravaged by stormy nights, delays, distress and frequent losses, a group of leading citizens, and ship owners petitioned Congress’ Committee on Commerce for the construction of a beacon light at Cedar Point. It was 1832, and every other Ohio harbor on Lake Erie, east of Black River, had already been accommodated with beacon lights. Still, it took Congress nearly six years to pass a bill appropriating $3000 to construct a beacon to mark the entrance to Sandusky Bay.

Cedar Point Lighthouse

The resulting light on Cedar Point was built in 1839 and marked the eastern approach to Sandusky Bay. Marblehead Lighthouse, which had already been built in 1822, stood on the western edge of the bay. The Cedar Point Lighthouse was a rectangular stone dwelling, with an octagonal tower extending upwards from its peaked roof. A front range beacon was eventually added at Cedar Point in 1853, about 265 feet north of the lighthouse. In 1862, work began on the erection of a substantial limestone structure, some ten feet higher than the old stone lighthouse. The dome of the original structure with its light was to be transferred to the new so that the light would not be discontinued. When the work was completed in 1867, the light from the new Cedar Point Lighthouse was exhibited from a height of 38 feet.

Lighthouse keeper, Frank Ritter, his wife and two children, Elsie and Lewis, moved into the stone house on Cedar Point in 1892. By this time, the Ritters were veterans of the area, as they had previously taken charge of a range light in Sandusky Bay off Johnson’s Island. The abode was the family’s home from the opening of navigation around March 1st until shortly before Christmas each year.

It was no easy task to maintain the lights of Cedar Point in Ritter’s time because it meant more than just keeping one light. There were many lights, outer-range lights, inner-range lights, beacon lights and many others aside from the one great illuminator that flashed at regular intervals to protect mariners from the perilous Cedar Point shoals. Oil was used, and lamps had to be filled, wicks trimmed, and the keeper had to row a boat to access the different stations.

Ritter is credited with saving numerous lives, although he was not quite sure of exactly how many he plucked from the water. Nightly, Frank and his wife sat side by side, gazing through a window into the distance, while winds often raged and waves stirred the lake. Many a time, they detected distress flares. Rescue operations were no easy task because there were no telecommunications between the lighthouse and the life-saving station, so Ritter had to row to Marblehead station to alert the lifesavers. On one occasion, 30 to 40 men and one woman were rescued from two endangered boats.

One day, after lighting several range lights, Ritter himself needed to be rescued. His boat was upset by a “northeaster,” spilling both him and his dog into the water. Luckily, people on shore heard his calls for help. Ritter was saved, but his dog later washed up dead on Cedar Point.

Frank Ritter served as Cedar Point Lighthouse Keeper until July 1, 1929. His son-in-law Henry Waibel succeeded him as keeper and served until 1948. During their service, Cedar Point Lighthouse transitioned away from its original role as a navigation aid. The exact role of the keeper of the Cedar Point Lighthouse in this transition period and afterward is unclear. Official closure of the lighthouse in 1904 by the Rear Admiral J. J. Read, Inspector of Lighthouses, was marked by the removal of the light tower from the roof of the main dwelling, improvements to the channel and the installation of new range lights to light the way to Sandusky Harbor. The Coast Guard, however, continued to use Cedar Point Lighthouse as a buoy depot, a radio beacon station and finally a search and rescue boat station. In 1975 Cedar Point’s boat station duties were transferred to Marblehead Coast Guard Station, and the property was abandoned.

Photo Gallery: 1 2 3

References:

1. Fairview Park: The Queen of American Watering Places, Francis, 1995.
2. Sandusky Library Historical Files:
   “Frank Ritter and Cedar Point Lighthouse,” Kurtz.
   “Light range led boats into bay,” 10/7/1990.
   “Lake tonnage sixty years ago,” Star Journal.
   “Thursday service for Frank Ritter, Keeper of Light,” 8/25/1953.
   “The Lighthouse at Cedar Point has been ordered closed,” 4/22/1904.
3. “Ohio’s Lost Cedar Point Lighthouse to be Restored,” Sapulski, Lighthouse Digest Magazine, October 2000.

The lighthouse is owned by Cedar Point Amusement Park. Grounds open, dwelling/tower closed.
Latitude: 41.48825
Longitude: -82.69336