The Marblehead Lighthouse, located in Marblehead, Ohio, is a historic landmark with a rich history dating back to 1821. This lighthouse is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, having served as a guiding beacon for ships navigating the treacherous rocky shores of the Marblehead Peninsula.
The lighthouse stands at 65 feet tall and is constructed from native limestone. It originally used a whale oil lamp to emit light, but today, it features a modern LED light maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. This beacon is housed in a rare three-and-a-half order Fresnel lens, one of the few of its kind in operation.
The lighthouse grounds became part of the Ohio State Park system in 1998, and the site now includes the Keeper’s House, which serves as a museum. The Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society, along with volunteers, manages the museum and organizes tours, providing visitors with insights into the history of the lighthouse and the life of its keepers, including the first female lighthouse keeper in the United States.
Visitors can tour the lighthouse and museum typically from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, Monday through Friday from 1:00 PM to 4:45 PM, with additional openings on the second Saturday of each month from June through October. The surrounding Marblehead Lighthouse State Park is open year-round, offering picturesque views of Lake Erie and its islands.
For more information on visiting, you can contact East Harbor State Park or check their official website.