Marblehead Lighthouse on the shores of Lake Erie (Photo by Chip Gross)
What is it that attracts us to lighthouses? Could it be their immovable stability in an ever-changing world? Mute guides to somehow show us the way, much as they do for wayward sailors?
Whatever the reason, people have been visiting the Marblehead Lighthouse on Lake Erie at the mouth of Sandusky Bay for nearly two centuries, ever since its construction in 1821. It’s the oldest lighthouse in continuous service anywhere on the Great Lakes.
Today part of Marblehead Lighthouse State Park, the lighthouse is owned and operated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. One of the Buckeye State’s smallest state parks — only a few acres — it’s also one of Ohio’s most popular, offering spectacular views and photo opportunities of Lake Erie, the Bass Islands, and Kelleys Island, which is served by Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative.
Unlike most Great Lakes lighthouses, Marblehead is open to the public, and visitors are welcome to climb to the top of the 65-foot structure on its interior spiral staircase (it’s $3 — cash only — per climber over 6 years old). The lighthouse is open from noon to 4 p.m. daily, beginning the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. It’s also open during the annual community Lighthouse Festival, the second Saturday of October.
The Marblehead Lighthouse had 15 keepers during the many years before its light was automated in 1958 — including two women, distinguishing Marblehead as the only Ohio lighthouse to ever have two female keepers.
The structure itself has endured nearly 200 years because of its rugged construction. Built of extremely durable Columbus Limestone quarried locally (the same white stone used to construct Ohio’s state Capitol), the lighthouse has a 25-foot diameter base, tapering to 12 feet just below the lantern room. Its lower walls are 5 feet thick, narrowing to 2 feet thick at the top.
Most of Lake Erie’s original lighthouses are long gone, destroyed through the years by rain, wind, ice, snow, or fire. Yet today, the Marblehead Lighthouse flashes its green beacon 11 nautical miles across the waters of western Lake Erie every evening. It’s a great picnic spot, as there always seems to be a cooling lake breeze blowing, even on the hottest days.
