McGulpin Point Lighthouse
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GT.US
N 45° 47.222 W 084° 46.398
16T E 673077 N 5072796
The McGulpin Point Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse that served the Starits of Mackinac from 1869 - 1906.
Waymark Code: WMKEZM
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 04/03/2014
Views: 13
Wikipedia tells us this history of the light (
visit link)
"The McGulpin Point Light, a true lighthouse with a light tower and attached lighthouse keeper's living quarters, was completed by the United States Lighthouse Board in 1869 at a cost of $20,000. The living quarters were built as a vernacular 11/2-story brick structure. The lighthouse operated during the Great Lakes navigation seasons from 1869 until 1906.
The design was so successful that the Lighthouse Board chose to use this 1868 design in the construction of Eagle Harbor Light in 1871; White River Light in 1875; and Sand Island Light in 1881.[5] It is a "mirror image of the design" used at Chambers Island Light and Eagle Bluff Light in the "Death's Door" area. The design is sometimes called "Norman Gothic" style.
James Davenport was the only lighthouse keeper at this light, and served for 27 years.
Preservation
In 1906, the McGulpin Point Light was deactivated and privatized due to the Lighthouse Board's judgment that the nearby Old Mackinac Point Light was performing an adequate job of marking the Straits of Mackinac. At some point after deactivation, the lighthouse tower's lantern room was removed, and the building passed into private ownership. The building then entered service as a private residence.
In 2005, the lighthouse and adjoining 11.5 acres (47,000 m2) were placed on the market for an asking price of $1.75 million by the Peppler family. In early 2008, the price was $974,900. In June 2008. the governing board of Emmet County voted to purchase the McGulpin Point Lighthouse and 11.5 acres (4.7 ha) of surrounding lakefront property, including 336 feet (102 m) of Lake Michigan footage, and some adjacent property for visitor parking, for $720,000.