Historical Facts & FAQ

Established: 1889

Years of operation: fog signal building completed 1890; lighthouse completed 1892; radio beacon installed 1937-38; station closes 1957

Height of tower: Approximately 58 feet from ground to lightning rod (about five stories)

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse light tower, 2004.

Focal plane: 50 feet

Height above low water: 62 feet

Lens: Fourth-order Fresnel

Light characteristics: Red light, flashing every ten seconds

Distance visible: 16 miles

Station Acreage: .88 acres

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and barn, 1907. The people are unidentified but are likely Margaret Marshall and Sarah Marshall Barnum with the children of Charles Marshall, Chester, Ethel, and Nora who were raised by the Marshalls and Barnums.

Structures:
Duplex dwelling and tower (1892)
Barn (1892; moved to new location on site in 1929 and converted into a garage in the 1940s; moved off site in 1961; restored to original location in 2005)
Oil House (1892; destroyed 1929)
Privy (1892; destroyed 1929)
First Fog Signal Building (1890; moved to new location on site in 1907 and used as a warehouse; destroyed in the 1940s)
Second Fog Signal Building (1907)

Keepers:
George Marshall (1844-1932); Keeper: 1890-1919
James Marshall (1882-1941); Keeper: 1919-1940
Henrik Olsen (1890-1970); Keeper: 1940-1951
John Campbell (1898-1963); Keeper: 1951-1957