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Showing posts with label Indiana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indiana. Show all posts

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Old Michigan City Lighthouse, Michigan City, Indiana













This schoolhouse style lighthouse was built in 1858 but has been inactive since 1904. It did however serve as the keepers house for the Michigan City East Pierhead Lighthouse until 1940. It is located in Washington Park in Michigan City, Indiana just West of the Michigan City East Pierhead Lighthouse. It now serves as a lighthouse museum and is well worth the visit. Although there is no lens in the tower, a rebuilt spiral staircase allows one access to the tower and the view. Photos taken in June 2011.

Michigan City East Pierhead Lighthouse, Michigan City, Indiana













This light was built in 1904 replacing a previous wooden light that established on the site in 1871. It sits at the end of a long concrete pier near Washington Park in Michigan City, Indiana. There is a popular beach adjacent to the pier. The light is somewhat unique in that there is a steel catwalk that starts at the foot of the pier and travels out to the lighthouse. This cat walk enabled the keepers to more easily access the light during very stormy weather. In 2007 the lighthouse was deemed excess by the Coast Guard and was taken over by Michigan City. Just north of the light is a large nuclear power generating station. When I visited the light in June 2011 I found it in need of some sprucing up as the paint was worn and there was an abundance of graffiti, especially on the lake side of the light.