THE MICHIGAN LIGHTHOUSE FUND
The Michigan Lighthouse Fund was formed to make sure our state’s
great beacons are preserved. By creating a substantial fund which can
generate grants and loans to these groups, the fund will be helping to
ensure that these uncomplaining watchtowers get the help they need to
stand for centuries more.
Because two-thirds of Michigan’s lighthouses currently
under federal ownership are scheduled for decommission within the next
decade, local
community groups all over the state are preparing themselves for ownership
of a historic light. None of these structures is a turn-key facility.
Each light has suffered from neglect and even abuse over the last four
decades, as the lights have been automated and the buildings abandoned.
These architectural wonders once served as crucial beacons
to Great Lakes shipping, but now they have yielded to the advance of technology.
The
era of global positioning has made the dramatic light of the Fresnel
lens unnecessary as a navigational aid to the shipping industry. Simple
metal
poles supporting computerized instruments have now replaced the brick
and steel towers with their keeper’s dwellings and fog signal
buildings.
And yet the historic structures bear witness to the
rich maritime history of the state. Their presence still commands awe
from those who catch
sight of them. They testify to the great age of the light keepers and
their
isolated lives as they struggled to keep the shipping lanes of the lakes
safe. A few of them are being restored by dedicated volunteer groups
who endeavor to save this vital part of the state’s history. Many
more lighthouses, however, are slowly collapsing, leaving mere fragments
of
their history to tell the tale. Soon they will certainly vanish from
the landscape, to exist only in fading photographs and dusty log books,
or
in our own misty memories.
To keep this from happening, we need your help. Think of lighthouses you have seen in Michigan. Remember their stark beauty, picture the service they gave to travelers on our waters.
Then, send a contribution to the nonprofit Michigan Lighthouse Fund. The money will be used to repair and restore lights all over Michigan and its waters. And, knowing you care will enable the working groups to continue their labor, caring for these timeless sentinels we all know and love.
Don’t let the lights be abandoned, slowly demolished by weather
and water. They are public treasures. Help us to help them. Make
a tax-deductible contribution today by clicking on the donate now link.
Lighthouse Facts
