A Tale of Two Lighthouses

 June 14, 2021

Presque Isle

Presque Isle has two lighthouses, the old and the new, but it's not what you might think.  The first one we saw coming into the harbor, towering over the trees is the "New" lighthouse, built in 1870.  We didn't have the opportunity to see this one up close and personal.

The Old Lighthouse, though, built in 1840, was a short hike from the harbor, and a short hike was exactly what Feather needed after we docked and had dinner (chili with cornbread, cooked while underway).




I'm so grateful to the people who have worked so hard to preserve bits and pieces of the past so that we can not only read about, but also experience (in a small way), how things were done, so that we can imagine how things may be done. People to whom history is not disposable.

From the keepers of the lighthouse:



to the keepers of the light,


those who collect the bits and pieces of lives long past, and preserve them for us to learn how places and things are connected:

and how to lift the weights of the world


and to open doors


pointing the way to future from past.



Well, that descended into schmaltz pretty quickly.  These things happen when surrounded by beauty.

Back too describing the sights:



 
The "old" lighthouse was in place for about thirty years when it was deemed too short because the trees obscured the view of its light from the lake.  Rather than cut the trees, the government funded a new taller lighthouse (the "new" lighthouse).  Fortunately the old one was preserved.
It's now a little museum, but it wasn't open when I was there.  You can visit there though, and if you go when they are open, apparently you can climb this lighthouse.

https://presqueislelighthouses.org


I couldn't figure out what this was, and shockingly Chuck didn't know either! But he only got to see my picture. I don't think there should be mines in Lake Huron?















Comments

  1. See KayakerJuly 6, 2021 at 6:28 PM

    There is a pair of range lights close to there as well. They are twins to the range lights in Baileys Harbor (Door County Wisconsin). I am wondering if the odd object was a top for a capstan like in one of the previous pictures.

    ReplyDelete

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