HURON, Ohio — They could be termed the Art Deco Lighthouse Twins of the Lake Erie shoreline.
The Huron Lighthouse just east of Sandusky and the Conneaut West Breakwater Lighthouse located about one mile from the Pennsylvania border both were built and commissioned for service in 1936. Both are painted white and reflect the art deco style of that era. They were fabricated by F.P. Dillon and W.G. Will as square towers with fog horns.
“They have a [horizontal] black stripe on the one at Conneaut,” said Doug Steinwart, operations manager for the Huron Parks and Recreation Department. “But everything else is pretty much the same.
“It’s just the setting out here that I like. When you’re standing on the block, the viewing area, it feels like you are on the bow of ship looking out over the water onto the lighthouse. That’s pretty unique. And you get a picturesque sunset to the west. It has a lot of draw to the water.”
Mr. Steinwart was asked what he found most appealing about his town’s light.
“Two things,” he said. “One is to be able to fish on the pier with the picturesque backdrop of the lighthouse. The Huron pier is good fishing for all species, particularly with walleye in the fall.
“And I think that it’s popular for bird watchers by being on a designated birding trail. That makes it a part of ecotourism. And it’s a scenic, iconic backdrop for different birds that migrate through the area.”
It remains in the viewing background at a distance because it’s not accessible to the public. The lighthouse is located at the end of a rocky jetty off the pier that has signs posted to keep off. The walk down the pier to get as close as possible to it is three-quarters of one mile.
“Locally, everyone appreciates the lighthouse,” Mr. Steinwart added. “Not every port has one. So, it’s definitely a valued asset in our community. The [U.S.] Coast Guard maintains it, but we have a block house, the original lighthouse foundation, that we capped and made it accessible to view the new lighthouse because you can’t walk up to the existing lighthouse or take a tour of it inside.”
Les Downing, of nearby Norwalk, was enjoying a recent sunset on a pier bench.
“I just like to come out here once or twice a week and relax,” Mr. Downing said. “There’s always a nice breeze. There’s a danger sign, but I’ve seen a lot of people go out to the lighthouse and fish out there.
“We used to rent little boats and fish here. But now I just come to relax. Saturday nights in the summers they have little concerts here. It was country and Western one week. They’ve had big bands, rock bands and old-time songs, too. Even an Elvis impersonator.”
There are restaurants and entertainment venues located on the other side of the parking lot leading to the pier.
“If you do walk out there,” Mr. Steinwart said, “there are some good [historic] markers with some old photographs we were able to put out there with our local history.”
One is titled: “Huron Block House – 1930s to Present.”
It stands near the old block house and details the stories of the original wood lighthouse built in the 1830s only to be “destroyed by a fierce storm in May 1854.” An iron lighthouse was built in 1857 with a spiral staircase leading to the light and foghorn atop it. It was replaced in 1936 by the current lighthouse, which was part of a $471,519 harbor improvement project.
Lighthouse keeper Daniel D. Hill made the transition from the old structure to the current one, and Robert E. Jones (1944-47), John Brophy (1947-55), and Robert J. Siggens (1955-58) succeeded him before electricity and automation eliminated the need for the position.
On the walk toward the current light, visitors pass the square cement foundation on which the pierhead light was situated from 1857 until its replacement some 80 years later. An Ohio State Historical Marker details that the current white, pyramidal lighthouse was one of the first in Lake Erie with an electrical-powered light, sending its guiding beams out 12 miles in all directions.
The light was automated in 1972, and the tower’s lantern room was removed while a modern beacon with a solar-powered 375-millimeter lens was installed. It flashes a red light every three seconds, then it’s off for three seconds.
Four LED lights were mounted around the base of the lighthouse to illuminate the white tower. Decorative light colors can be changed for holidays or special occasions.
The Coast Guard converted the Huron Lighthouse to solar power in 2015, and the beacon remains a guide to Great Lakes freighters carrying cargo as well recreational boaters.
“It’s still used by commercial and pleasure boaters as a navigational aid,” Mr. Steinwart said.
While it remains part of the community, its twin Conneaut Lighthouse was deemed excess by the Coast Guard and has been auctioned off to private owners.
First Published July 30, 2022, 12:00 p.m.
