Port Austin, MI

Photographer: Jeffrey W. Churill

Port Austin Reef

Port Austin, MI

Built : 1878, 1899

Construction : Square, Brick

Status : Active

Location : Port Austin, MI - Rocky shoal at the tip of the thumb

Height : 80 feet

Access : Boat, located about 2.5 miles North of Port Austin Harbor.

Lighthouse History : In March of 1873, Congress appropriated funds for the construction of a lighthouse to guide ships around the tip of Michigan's thumb. It was constructed on a shallow, rocky reef that extends approximately 2 1/2 miles North of Port Austin. The lighthouse was constructed on an octagonal pier that measured approximately 80 feet in diameter with 33 feet per side and 29 feet high.

A total of $81,871 had been spent on construction once completed on September 15, 1878.

The pier was modified in 1899 with the addition of a new section.

The lighthouse tower and attached buildings are constructed out of yellow brick. The tower measures 16 feet square and stands 60 feet from the tower base to the top of the ventilator ball. The tower is constructed with double walls for both insulation and weatherproofing. The inner wall is 4 inches thick and the exterior wall is 13 inches thick. A 3 inch space between the walls provides the insulation.

Originally the lighthouse was fitted with a Fourth Order Fresnel lens manufactured by Henri Le Paute of Paris. The lens had five flash panels and 2 fixed panels exhibited a rotating beacon with a focal plane of 76 feet above the mean low water level.

Photo courtesy of: U.S. Coast Guard

A black, cast iron lantern room surrounds the lens and measures 7 feet 8 inches in diameter. The glass lantern panels also have helical bars across them referred to as astragal.

The attached, brick fog signal building measures 34 feet square with a red gabled roof.

Living facilities provided a total of three bedrooms along with a kitchen.

Like many other lighthouses operated under the U.S. Lighthouse Service, this station became possession of the U.S. Coast Guard in the mid 1930's.

In 1937, the caisson was reconstructed with the addition of 5 feet of concrete to the sides and 3 feet to the top. A steam operated fog horn was also added, replacing the existing twin steam whistle and requiring the addition of a dormer on the fog signal building. This construction progress can be seen in the U.S. Coast Guard photo above.

In 1953, the light was fitted with a 200 millimeter glass lens and automated, keeper's were no longer needed here and the light station was abandoned.

No longer needed as an aid to navigation, the U.S. Coast Guard recommended the lighthouse be decommissioned in 1979. The entire facility was then scheduled to be dismantled in 1984.

Restoration: A gentleman by the name of Louis Schillinger, from Port Austin, stopped the light's dismantling by obtaining a 5 year license to restore the structure. In 1985, the lighthouse was upgraded with the addition of solar power to operate the beacon. The non-profit Port Austin Reef Light Association was established in 1988 for the process of restoring the light and obtaining a long-term property lease from the U.S. Coast Guard.

The city of Port Austin is a popular tourist stop with its small shops, restaurants, resorts, and campgrounds. Charter boats are available for sight-seeing of the beautiful North Shores of the thumb and the lighthouse.