An Introduction to Lighthouses

Some experiences, of course, are better than others.

Experiencing the uniqueness of a lighthouse is a good experience, one that lasts a lifetime. In a magical sense, it makes you feel something akin to the lure of the sea. You suddenly understand why men and women went so far as to risk their lives in their dedicated overseer of a lighthouse.

Climbing to the top of Lake Erie's Marblehead Lighthouse, negotiating the scalene triangle-shaped steps of the stairwell, is a trip like no other.

Watch Your Head!
As you slowly climb the 75 steps up to the top, you imagine the last lightkeeper's emotions as he made the climb many times over. You wonder if it ever became routine to him. Did he lose the wonder of the sunlight piercing through the large, shaded, bay windows that decorate the huge cylinder? Did it ever become routine to him to climb the corkscrew stairs and check the mighty Fresnel lens? Or did he always marvel at the beauty and power of the towering beacon that calls to nighttime ships?

At the top step, a cute little placard duck silently yells "Duck!" as you enter the Fresnel light outer area above.

After the duck, which is quite necessary if you intend to keep your head intact, you slide to the left to pass through the small doorway that leads you onto the balcony.

Historical Restoration just Completed
I climbed Marblehead Lighthouse on a cool, windy Thursday in June, in 2002.

The tower's restoration had been completed the week before my visit to Marblehead Lighthouse State Park, in Marblehead, Ohio, where the limestone lighthouse has a majestic perch atop a flat, rocky throne on the southern most portion of Lake Erie.

The restoration of the oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Erie had been a seven-month project that had included replacing windows, the street-level door, and deteriorated brickwork. The tower's exterior is stucco, which was also repaired as needed. Inside the lighthouse, you may view the brickwork of the original cylindrical structure. Standing in its original position, that brickwork is now covered with several feet of new tower wall.

Ever since the lighthouse was built in 1821, the beacon has been continuously active and regularly upgraded. The beacon flashes a green light that is visible for 11 nautical miles.

An Awesome View from the Top!
The day of my visit was fiercely windy, with gusts whipping and spraying the white-capped waters that closely surround the lighthouse. The park ranger overseeing the day's tours carefully considered the wind conditions before opening the green door to eager climbers.

The tour ends at the top of the 65-foot tower, where you may step outside onto a red-railed walkway. On a windy day, you use the railing to good advantage as you peer below, or gaze above beyond the topmost part of the limestone cylinder to the mammoth fourth-order Fresnel lens. The lens is a huge structure that's caged by glass and caps the lighthouse.

It was time to hug the wall as I traveled the circular walkway around the lighthouse and took in the lakeside view. Standing at the top, you can see and feel a historic past. The awesome seascape includes beautiful Lake Erie, and in the distance, Cedar Point, Kelley's Island, and Johnson Island, the former Confederate prison camp, as well as the Commodore Perry Memorial at Put-in-Bay.

Directly below on land is the park and the old lightkeeper's house, now a historical museum detailing Lake Erie's shipping and limestone industries, and the life of the Marblehead lighthouse, and its many keepers. More than one keeper gave his life to the lighthouse.

Climbing to the top was exhilerating, but even more potent was capturing the focus on such a wild and windy day of the real purpose of the stately while tower. Lighthouse beacons are for all seasons. They warn of calm, shallow waters, and they guide in raging storms.

Once you've been inside a lighthouse, there's no return to placidity where water and shores are concerned.