A beautiful summer day at Marblehead Lighthouse State Park. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

Marblehead Lighthouse, the oldest working lighthouse on the Great Lakes, celebrated its bicentennial in 2022.

I think this park is among the most beautiful settings for a lighthouse on the Great Lakes. The grounds around the lighthouse are very accessible for visitors of all abilities. A breezy, warm summer day is the perfect time to bring folding chairs and a picnic lunch. Then just sit back, watch the water and sailboats on Lake Erie, and listen to the waves crash on the rocks.

Located at Marblehead Lighthouse State Park, the 50-foot tower is made of native limestone. The base of the building is 25 feet in diameter with walls five feet thick. It narrows to 12 feet at the top with two-foot thick walls. 

Visitors line up to tour the lighthouse and walk up a circular stairway to the top. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

The original beacon was made up of 13 whale-oil lamps. Between 1897 and 1903, the tower’s height was increased 15 feet by the addition of a watch room and a new lantern room. A new, more extensive, rotating Fresnel lens apparatus powered by a clockwork produced a bright flash of light every 10 seconds. The beacon was automated in 1958.

The U.S. Coast Guard continues to operate and maintain the lighthouse beacon. Today’s technology features a new LED light projecting a green signal that flashes every six seconds and is visible for 11 nautical miles. 

The park includes lighthouse tours by reservation (in season), a museum and gift shop. If you want to go to the top of the lighthouse, a strenuous walk up and down stairs is required. A replica lifesaving station with a museum of US Coast Guard activities is nearby. The area also offers picnic areas and restrooms.

Marblehead Lighthouse State Park is a delightful place to sit back, watch the boats go by on Lake Erie and watch the waves crash onto the rocks. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

The lighthouse is located at 110 Lighthouse Drive (off SR 163), Marblehead.

(Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources)

Ken Drenten is creator and manager of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

All rights reserved, Dusty Tires (dusty-tires.com), 2023.