PhotonStopper

Vermilion Lighthouse Decorated for Holidays

It sounds crazy, a lighthouse without a light, but it’s true. The lovely little landmark on the shores of Lake Erie in Vermilion, Ohio is a 34-foot “private navigational aid” with a lineage that reaches back to the 1800s.

The original wooden tower was replaced in about 1877 with a steel structure and stood as a warning to sailors until 1929. The tower was seen to be in danger of falling over and so was promptly removed. A valued piece of scenery, a reminder of Vermilion’s history was gone.

Members of the community put together enough funds that in 1991, construction of a new lighthouse was commissioned for the city. The light, with a Fresnel lens installed, was dedicated on June 6, 1992. For many years a steady red beacon shined out over the lake until fate stepped in again. The lens, owned by the Inland Seas Maritime Museum that shares the shoreline property with the little lighthouse, was removed when the museum closed up shop recently and moved to Toledo.

The treasured lighthouse is now dark.

Citizens have formed a Lighthouse Preservation Committee, dedicated to preservation and upkeep of the Vermilion Lighthouse and central to their mission: replacement of the Fresnel lens and return of light to the lighthouse.

Here’s hoping the coming year brings quick success as the Committee seeks to raise $40,500 for a new lens!

Donations can be mailed, payable to:

Main Street Vermilion
Attn: Lighthouse Preservation Committee
685 Main Street
Vermilion, OH 44089

Note: Online donation is possible but I did not see a way to earmark donations for the lighthouse project.

Main Street Vermilion
http://www.mainstreetvermilion.org