National Lighthouse Day

August 7 is National Lighthouse Day.

This day honors these beacons that have lit the way for so many vessels on the waters around and within the United States.

Here are just a few of the many lights I have passed on my 1000-Mile Great Lakes Adventures:

The Marblehead Lighthouse in Ohio was built in 1821

The Au Sable Lighthouse in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Tawas Point Lighthouse

St. Joseph lighthouse

Grand Traverse Lighthouse

In early August, I went on a lighthouse tour in northern Lake Huron and saw these gems:

Cheboygan Crib Light

Fourteen Foot Shoal Light

Bois Blanc Island Light

Poe Reef Light

For more information on National Lighthouse Day, click HERE.

National Lighthouse Day, August 7

On this National Lighthouse day (first established in 1789), I'd like to share some photos I took while on my adventure.














Seeing these sentinels on the lakeshore was always a welcome sight as I walked. I can imagine that they were a comforting beacon to early lake travelers.


There are many preservation groups working to maintain and conserve these historic lights. And there are several around the lake that seek out the help of volunteers.

I spent a week working at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse (below) in November 2009. It was fun to stay in the keepers' house and to climb the light tower to watch the sunset every evening. I worked in the gift shop and helped to get the buildings ready for the harsh winter and raked leaves. It was a great week and I met some wonderful people who also have a bond with this important part of our Great Lakes heritage.

Visit YOUR favorite lighthouse this summer and see what YOU can do to help preserve it. To learn more about this special day for lighthouses, click HERE.