|
Home | Pacific
Coast | Great Lakes
| Atlantic Coast | Sunrise/Sunset
| Storms | Winter
| Birds | Lenses,
Stairs, Fences | Tallships
| Panoramics | Awards
| Bio | Order
| Webring
What is now
known as the Erie Land lighthouse since the building of the lighthouses
out on Presque Isle proper. Funds were originally appropriated
by Congress in 1810 and 1811 but the War of 1812 delayed the construction
and completion until 1818. What was then known as the Presque
Isle light and the original Buffalo lighthouse were the first two
lights built on the US Great Lakes shores. The original light
began settling and was replaced with a taller tower that, along
with a keeper's residence, was completed in 1858. The new
tower also had a 3rd order Fresnel lens installed in its lantern
room. By 1865, the 2nd light was also suffering from settling
and was subsequently dismantled. After the construction of
a massive foundation further back from the edge of the bluff, the
present 49 foot tower was built of Berea sandstone and completed
in 1867, the year in the cornerstone. The lighthouse has been
extensively restored and is now owned by the City of Erie.
The lighthouse was relighted in a ceremony in 1999, one hundred
years after the light was last extinguished. In 2003-04 a
new lantern room was fabricated and installed. |
