The Erie Land Light, also known as the Old Presque Isle Light stands on the shore of Lake Erie. It is one of the three lighthouses in Erie, along with the Presque Isle Light and the North Pier Light. The lighthouse is situated on the bluffs overlooking the lake in Lighthouse Park east of downtown Erie.
Recognizing the need to improve navigation on the Great Lakes and mark important harbors, Congress passed an act in 1810 authorizing the construction and appropriated $1,600 for the first two lighthouses on the Great Lakes; one to be located at the junction of Buffalo Creek and Lake Erie and the other on or near Presque Isle. A total of 2 to 4 acres of land overlooking the entrance to the channel into Presque Isle Bay was ceded by Brigadier General John Kelso of the Pennsylvania militia on April 2, 1811, for the lighthouse. Though Congress provided money for construction of the lighthouse in 1810 and 1811, the work was delayed by the outbreak of the War of 1812. A new allocation of $17,000 was made on March 3, 1817, for the construction of two lighthouses on Lake Erie, and Presque Isle Lighthouse and Buffalo Lighthouse were completed and commenced operation in 1818. These lights are considered the first American lighthouses built on the Great Lakes.
The contract for the lighthouse called for a twenty-foot stone tower with a diameter of 9½ feet at its abase and 7½ feet at its top. Surmounting the tower was a nine-foot-tall iron lantern sheltering an array of ten lamps and reflectors. The lighthouse had a focal plane of ninety-three feet. Nearby, a one-story frame dwelling comprising three rooms was provided for the keeper, Captain John Bone, who assumed the position in 1818 and served until 1832.
By 1858, the original, square, 20-foot tower had begun to sink into the ground. Metal bands were placed around the tower to stabilize it, but by 1857 it was evident that the tower would have to be replaced. The second tower was a 56-foot-tall, cylindrical tower built from Milwaukee brick. The foundation of this tower was also was unable to cope and had to be replaced again by 1866. An investigation found that a layer of quicksand below the foundation of the lighthouse was the cause — and frost had also contributed to cracks in its walls. The lighthouse was dismantled in 1866. When work commenced on a third lighthouse, plenty of attention was given to providing a proper foundation. The selected site was farther removed from the bluff’s edge. And to ensure the third tower remain sturdy, unlike its predecessors, the foundation was dug 20 feet deep. Eight courses of oak timbers 12 by 12 inches and 20 feet long formed the base of the foundation. Atop the timber was poured 6 feet of Portland cement mixed with crushed limestone; stone 8 feet thick was laid on the cement. The third tower was built from Berea sandstone. The basal diameter was greater than that of the previous towers and helped to distribute the weight of the tower over a larger area. The year of completion, 1867, is inscribed in decorative stonework above the lighthouse door. The Fresnel lens that was installed in the new tower cost $7,000 and shipped from Paris, France. A two-story, saltbox lightkeeper's house was also built at the same time.
On March 3, 1871, Congress appropriated funds to raise the roof of the keeper’s dwelling to provide for a full second story. Other renovations made at the same time included renewing brickwork around the windows, restoring floors, replastering the dwelling, refurbishing the barn, and building a fence partway around the property.
After a new lighthouse was completed on the lake side of Presque Isle Peninsula in 1873, it took on the name of Presque Isle Lighthouse, and the old lighthouse on the bluff overlooking the harbor was renamed Erie Lighthouse, though locals referred to it as the Erie Land Lighthouse.
On the recommendation of the naval inspector for the lighthouse district, the Erie Land Light was deactivated in 1880; it was sold on March 1, 1881, along with the dwelling, for $1,800 to Myron Sanford, owner of the surrounding land. After much public outcry, the lighthouse was repurchased on July 7, 1884, for $7,000, and was reactivated the next year by an act of Congress. The property repurchased, a custodian was paid to watch the site, which was endangered by vandals, until the lighthouse could be reactivated. Most of the metalwork was still in storage in Buffalo, New York, but some pieces were missing or broken and had to be replaced. This unexpected work delayed the reactivation of the light until July 1, 1885, when the light from a new revolving third-order Fresnel was exhibited from the tower.
In 1886, the lighthouse was again decommissioned, though caretakers were still appointed and the beacon continued to operated until December 26, 1899, when it was finally extinguished. The lenses were removed in 1902 and were sent to the Marblehead Light in Ohio. After the lantern room was removed, the top of the tower was covered in tar paper. The lighthouse was acquired by the city of Erie in 1934 from the federal government, turning the property over to the city for public-park purposes. The city rents the 1858 keeper’s dwelling to caretakers, who look after the lighthouse property, now known as Lighthouse Park. The Erie Land Light consists of a sandstone tower and a small, one-story building attached to the tower's southern side; the entire structure was constructed from Berea sandstone lined with brick. The lighthouse tower is 48 feet 10 inches with a diameter of 19 feet tapering to 14 feet. The interior diameter of the tower is 8 feet and contains a cast iron, spiral staircase with 69 steps. The balcony where the lantern room sits is 16 feet wide. The structure attached to the tower is 8 feet 3 inches wide, 16 feet 3 inches long, and 16 feet 5 inches tall; it is separated from the tower by 7-foot -tall steel doors. The beacon itself, when it was in operation, was fueled by mineral oil and exhibited a fixed, white light. It had a focal plane 128 feet above mean lake level and a range of 17 nautical miles. When the current lighthouse was built a third-order Fresnel lens was installed; the lens were transferred to another lighthouse when it was deactivated. Currently, the tower is equipped with a modern marine navigational beacon.
The Erie Land Light was was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in 1936. On March 30, 1978, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A wooden replica of the lantern room was placed on the tower in 1990 and was relight on December 26, 1999, exactly one hundred years from when it was last extinguished, a ceremonial relighting was held at the lighthouse. In 2000, archaeologists found the foundation of the original lighthouse at a site 200 yards west of the current tower. The replica lantern room was eventually blown off of the tower on May 5, 2003, during a windstorm.
In 2004, The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission provided $400,000 in grants for restoration work on the lighthouse. The lighthouses interior stairs and over 200 bricks were replaced, and a 6,300-pound copper replica of the original lantern room was built. The lantern was hoisted on to the lighthouse on March 19, 2004. The restoration was completed on June 19, 2004. The Erie–Western Pennsylvania Port Authority proposed in 2005 to take ownership of the Land Light from the city to increase its tourism potential, and, in 2010, to assume responsibility for the maintenance of the grounds surrounding the lighthouse. The lighthouse is opened to the public annually in the summer as a fundraiser for the Erie Playhouse.
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| Erie Land Lighthouse (1933) |
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| Erie Land Lighthouse (1933) |
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| Erie Land Lighthouse (1933) |
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| Erie Land Lighthouse (year unknown) |
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| Erie Land Lighthouse (year unknown) |
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| Lighthouse keeper surveying the harbor from atop the lighthouse. |
