Turtle Island Light

Turtle Island Light

Lighthouse and keeper's residence c. 1880
Location	Turtle Island (Lake Erie)
Year first constructed	1831 1866 (current tower)
Automated	No
Deactivated	1904
Construction	Brick
Tower shape	Square
Height	44 feet (13 m)
Current lens	removed
Range	12 nautical miles; 23 kilometres (14 mi)
ARLHS number	USA-859[1][2]

When Turtle Island fell back to federal ownership, the newly established Port of Toledo received $5,000 of federal funding from Congress to build the Turtle Island Lighthouse in 1831.^[3] At the time, the island's area was approximately 6.67 acres (2.70 ha), and the island included the lighthouse, the lighthouse keeper's residence, and a small farm.^[4]

Unlike most islands in Lake Erie, Turtle Island consists primarily of clay and gravel deposits and was subjected to constant erosion, which is why some believed it to not be a real island. By 1839, lake storms and waves reduced the island by approximately 77% down to an area of only 1.5 acres (0.61 ha). Congress spent tens of thousands of dollars to no avail to prevent the erosion of the island. In 1866, an updated lighthouse costing $12,000 was constructed. It was described as one of the finest lighthouses on the Great Lakes, and its light could be seen up to 14 miles (23 km) away.^[3] However, the erosion of the island continued to threaten the lighthouse to the point where a 4-foot (1.2 m) tall concrete wall was constructed in 1883 around the lighthouse to prevent crashing waves and erosion from damaging the structure.^[4] Constant lake storms bombarded the tiny island. When the nearby Toledo Harbor Light was completed in 1904, the Turtle Island Lighthouse was no longer needed and was decommissioned after having cost the United States an untold amount of money to continuously maintain over the past 72 years. During those 72 years, there were no shipwrecks within the vicinity of Turtle Island.^[4]

There were two keepers of the lighthouse: Ann Edson (1869–1870) and William Haynes (1875–1904).^[5]

References

Further reading

• Gardner, B. Ellen. Turtle Island Lighthouse: The Darkened Light. Cornwall, New York: Hawk's Cry Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-9649679-2-8
• Oleszewski, Wes. Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses. Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998. ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
• Turtle Island Light Station, The Keepers' Log, Notice to Keepers Volume 10, Issue 4, Page 40.
• U.S. Coast Guard. Historically Famous Lighthouses. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1957.
• Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia. Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia. Erin, Ontario: Boston Mills Press, 2006. ISBN 1-55046-399-3

External links

• Turtle Island Lighthouse at Lighthouse Friends
• Lighthouse Depot: Turtle Island.

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St. Mary's River	Frying Pan Island Pipe Island Point Iroquois Round Island Light (St. Mary's River) Six Mile Point Range Rear Winter Point Range Front
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Straits of Mackinac	Bois Blanc McGulpin Point Old Mackinac Point Round Island Round Island Passage St. Helena Island
Western Lower Peninsula	Beaver Island Harbor Beaver Island Head Big Sable Point Cedar River Charlevoix Charlevoix South Pier Frankfort Frankfort South Range Grand Haven North Pierhead Grand Haven South Pierhead Entrance Grand Haven South Pierhead Inner Grand Traverse Grays Reef Holland Harbor Ile Aux Galets Little Sable Point Little Traverse Ludington Manistee Pierhead Manning Memorial Mission Point Mission Point (1933) Muskegon Breakwater Muskegon Pier North Manitou Shoal Pentwater North Pierhead Pentwater South Pierhead Point Betsie Portage Lake South Fox Island South Haven South Manitou Island St. Joseph North Pier Inner St. Joseph North Pier Outer South Manitou Island Waugoshance White River White Shoal
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Historical (lost) lights	Au Sable North Pierhead Belle Isle Clinton River Ecorse Ecorse Range Rear Gibraltar Grassy Island Grassy Island North Channel Range Lights Grassy Island South Channel Range Lights Grosse Ile North Channel Range Lights Grosse Ile South Channel Range Lights Harwood Point East Range Front Kalamazoo River Mama Juda Mama Juda Range Front Manistee Main Middle Lake George Monroe Pier New Buffalo North Manitou Island Saginaw Bay Sand Beach North Entrance East Squaw Point St. Mary's River Lower Range Front Vidal Shoals Channel Range Front and Rear Lights Windmill Point Range Front and Rear Lights
Related	Lightship Huron List of lifesaving stations in Michigan

Lighthouses of Ohio
Ashtabula Harbor Light Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Light Grand Lake St. Marys Lighthouse Grand River (Fairport Harbor) Light Green Island Light Huron Harbor Light Lorain West Breakwater Light Marblehead Light South Bass Island Light Toledo Harbor Light Turtle Island Light Vermilion Light West Sister Island