Erie Land Light

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Erie Land Lighthouse
Erie Land Lighthouse.jpg
Erie Land Light
Location: Erie , Pennsylvania
Installation: 1867
Deactivated: 1880/1899 / in operation
Foundation: Oak, limestone, cement
Construction: Brick
Tower shape: conical tower
Height: 15 m
Original lens: Fresnel lens
Range: 31.5 km
Beacon: white flashing light

Erie Land Light or Old Presque Isle Light is a 15 m high lighthouse in Erie , Pennsylvania . It is one of three lighthouses in Erie; the other two are Presque Isle Light and North Pier Light . The structure is located in Lighthouse Park on Dunn Boulevard.

The lighthouse was originally built in 1818, but has since been replaced twice. The current structure was built in 1867 and was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1936. On March 30, 1978, the lighthouse was entered on the National Register of Historic Places .

history

The original Erie Land Light was the first lighthouse built in the Great Lakes area by the United States federal government in 1818 . The lighthouse at the time was a six-meter-high square tower that began to slowly sink in 1851. It had to be replaced in 1857. The optic was built by L. Sauter & Fils in Paris , France and cost 7,000 US dollars at the time .

The second tower at this point was a six foot conical tower made of bricks supplied by Milwaukee , Wisconsin . The foundations of this second tower also had defects and had to be replaced again in 1866. An investigation revealed that there was a thin layer of quicksand under the foundations .

Photograph by HABS / HAER from 1936 without the lamp

The third tower was using sandstone from Berea built. To prevent the tower from sinking like its operations, six-meter-long oak trunks were rammed into the ground, on which a two-meter-thick foundation made of broken limestone and Portland cement was placed. A two-story saltbox for the lighthouse keeper was built at the same time.

The lighthouse was taken out of service in 1880 because it appeared unnecessary given the new Presque Isle Light on Presque Isle . It was sold for $ 1200. After some public uproar, the government bought the structure back and put the beacon back into operation in 1885. It then operated until December 26, 1899, when it was shut down again. In 1902 the optics were expanded and sent to Ohio, where they were used in the Marblehead Light . A roofing felt roof was put over the tower after the space for the beacon was removed. The city of Erie acquired the lighthouse in 1934.

Current use and reconstruction

A wooden replica of the lantern room was built on top of the tower in 1990 and on December 26, 1999 the beacon was restarted. The replica was blown away in a strong storm on May 5, 2003.

A new 2850 kg heavy copper replica was set up on March 19, 2004. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission donated $ 400,000 to restore the lantern room, stairs, and brickwork. The renovation was completed on June 19, 2004.

Web links

Commons : Erie Land Light  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b William J. Wewr: Erie Land Light House ( English , PDF) Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission . September 13, 1977. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  2. ^ A b c d Karl E. Morrison: Land Light House . Historic American Buildings Survey . October 5, 1936. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  3. ^ Samuel P. Bates: History of Erie County . Warner, Beers & Co, Chicago 1884, OCLC 8622308 (accessed May 24, 2007).
  4. ^ A b c Larry Wright, Patricia Wright: Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia ( English ). Boston Mills Press, Erin, ON 2006, ISBN 1-55046-399-3 , p. 101.
  5. ↑ Erie Land Lighthouse . National Park Service . March 1, 2002. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  6. ↑ a b History Made at Erie's Land Light . In: Lighthouse Digest . , South Portland , MEMai 2004, ISSN  1066-0038 . Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  7. ↑ Jule Gardener: Erie Land Lighthouse loses top in storm (English) . In: Erie Times-News , May 6, 2003, p. 4B. 
  8. ↑ Erica Erwin: Lighthouse landmark gets its lantern room (English) . In: Erie Times-News , March 20, 2004, pp. 1B, 2B. Retrieved December 4, 2008. 
  9. ↑ Tim Hahn: Project was a tall order (English) . In: Erie Times-News , June 20, 2004, pp. 1B, 5B. 

Coordinates: 42 ° 8 ′ 38.6 "  N , 80 ° 3 ′ 43.6"  W.