Most lighthouses try to be fancy with rotating beams and dramatic sweeps. Marblehead Lighthouse takes a different tactical approach: the lighthouse signal is a green flash that occurs every six seconds. The color was a deliberate choice to ensure sailors didn't confuse it with white air beacons. This signal has kept ships away from the rocky shores of the Marblehead Peninsula since 1822.
The US Congress put up $5,000 in 1819 to build this thing. Contractor William Kelly and some local help constructed a 50-foot tower of native limestone. It is built like a bunker, with 5-foot thick walls at the base tapering down to 2 feet at the top. It is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the American side of the Great Lakes, and it is still on duty today.
Before automation took over, keepers had some actual work to do. Benajah Wolcott, a Revolutionary War veteran, started the job in 1821. He had to tend 13 whale oil lamps, keep logs of every passing ship, and monitor the weather. Rachel Wolcott took over keeper duties after Benajah Wolcott died in 1832. They eventually upgraded to kerosene and a Fresnel lens in 1858 before moving to electricity in 1923.
Today, the tower is a state park attraction. You can see the 1958 stucco job and the 2012 LED upgrade, but the Fresnel lens was returned to the station in 2004. It stands on a 9-acre plot of land where you can look out at Sandusky Bay and Kelleys Island while observing the green signal that has been visible for 11 nautical miles.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Kyle McLonely
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