New England Lighthouse Lovers
is a New England based lighthouse club which is interested in learning more about lighthouses and maritime history through educational meetings, programs, and site visits.
We raise funds to help preserve and restore New England lighthouses. We have scheduled business meetings in early spring and late fall and rotate the location among the six New England states. Optional outings and special club events are held throughout the year. Membership is open to anyone ages 6 and up. For more information click on the logo to the upper right or send an e-mail to: membership@nell.cc |
| The Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse was first established on Lake Huron's shore in 1848. In 1857, the present structure was built. The 89' tower housed a third-order Fresnel lens, which was replaced in 1957.
In 1876 a U.S. Life-Saving Station was established just south of the lighthouse. The lighthouse and life-saving station were located on a parcel of land called the Government Reserve. After the life-saving station was decommissioned and the lighthouse automated, this land was purchased by Huron County to form Lighthouse County Park. Presently, the Coast Guard owns the lighthouse tower. Within the next six months, this will be turned over to the county, which has owned the keepers dwellings for many years. 
Pointe Aux Barques is one of three lighthouses within a 25-mile stretch on Lake Huron's shoreline. These three lighthouses also each had a life-saving station located near it. However, the other two lighthouses are located out in the lake and Pointe Aux Barques is the only one accessible by tourists. They can tour two small museums located inside the keepers dwelling. One museum covers the lighthouse and life-savings station and the other is a shipwreck museum covering the Thumb Bottomland Preserve, which is located offshore from the lighthouse. At present, the lighthouse tower and attached keepers dwelling are in poor shape and in need of expensive and extensive repairs. The Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse Society was formed in April, 2002, to assist Huron County with preserving the history of the lighthouse and helping maintain the building. The county does not have the money to repair these structures. The society is attempting to raise funds to start on the repair process and asks for your kind financial assistance.
Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse Society's Official Web Site |
