Sunrise at Marblehead Lighthouse
Marblehead Lighthouse in Marblehead, Ohio, United States, was built in 1821 and operational 1822. It is 50 feet high and has 77 steps to the top. It is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the United States side of the Great Lakes. It has guided sailors safely along the rocky shores of Marblehead Peninsula since 1822, and is an active aid to navigation. The lens is a rare three and one-half order Fresnel lens, and the functional iron staircase dates to the early 1900’s. A masonry finish covers the original native limestone exterior of the lighthouse. Inside you will find a brick stack constructed in the late 1800’s to raise the tower’s height by fifteen feet. The base of the tower is 25 feet in diameter, with walls 5 feet thick. It narrows to 12 feet at the top with 2-foot thick walls. The range is 11 nautical miles, and flashes a green light every 6 seconds.In 1819, the fifteenth U. S. Congress recognized the need for navigational aides along the Great Lakes, and set aside $5,000 for construction of the light tower at the entrance to Sandusky Bay.
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