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The Grand Traverse Lighthouse, located at the northern tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, has served maritime navigation through the Manitou Passage and the entrance of Grand Traverse Bay since 1852. While other markers, beacons, lighthouses, and cribs help to guide vessels between South Manitou Island and the Straits of Mackinac, the Grand Traverse Lighthouse remains the most significant location due to shallow waters, heavy seas, and frequent foggy conditions. Located eight miles north of Northport and a one-hour drive from Traverse City, the site is now a well decorated museum, and the now restored buildings are the centerpiece of beautiful Leelanau State Park.
Grand Traverse Light’s first lighthouse keeper, David Moon, resigned before his 2nd year and was replaced by US Deputy Philo Beers in 1853. His tenure included halting occasional raids by pirates who attempted to remove the station’s Fresnel lens as ordered by the self-proclaimed King of Beaver Island, James Jesse Strang.
The original tower and dwelling were demolished within six years and replaced with a two-story gabled structure, which consists of local stone foundations and triple-wythe Cream City brick from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The brick is now painted white for high visibility and protection from weather induced spalling. The building is cruciform in plan with north and south entry and stair towers. These two stair towers allowed the lighthouse keeper choice on which door to open in the incredibly fierce weather occurring at the tip of the peninsula.
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The 9-sided beacon tower positioned on the west gable is 48 feet tall. Within the cast iron oil burning lamp, there was a Fifth and later Fourth Order Fresnel lens that projected a range of 12 miles in clear weather, halfway into the Passage and was visible from Charlevoix. Additional appropriations from Congress funded the Fog Signal Building placed in service 1899.
As additional staff were needed, a single-story addition was built to accommodate the second family. The Coast Guard continued to maintain this station until 1972, when the tower light was replaced by an automated beacon mounted on a steel skeletal tower, as is now common throughout the Great Lakes.
In 1985, a local group organized the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Foundation, with a goal of preserving the historic buildings and creating an interesting and educational “living lighthouse” for the public to enjoy. It was reopened as a museum on Memorial Day in 1987. The foundation is managed by an Executive Director and a 7-member Board of Directors.
Tours throughout the buildings are usually self-guided, but you may request a tour guide by reservation. The lighthouse offers a Keepers Program, allowing visitors to stay in the assistant keeper’s quarters for a week at a time, providing opportunities to participate with daily operations of the lighthouse, museum and grounds. As well, participants will aid with greeting visitors, providing historical information, and assisting in the gift shop. In our fast-paced world, this may seem dull, yet this program allows historical insight into the lives of keepers from the past, in one of Michigan’s most beautiful natural settings.