Erie Harbor North Pier Light

Erie Harbor North Pier Light
Map
LocationPresque Isle, Pennsylvania, US
Coordinates42°09′24″N 80°04′14″W / 42.1567°N 80.0706°W / 42.1567; -80.0706
Tower
Constructed1858 Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionwrought iron, steel Edit this on Wikidata
Automated1995 Edit this on Wikidata
Height34 ft (10 m) Edit this on Wikidata
Shapesquare pyramid Edit this on Wikidata
Markingswhite, black (stripe) Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorUnited States Coast Guard Edit this on Wikidata
Light
Focal height13 m (43 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Lensfourth order Fresnel lens (–1995) Edit this on Wikidata
Range6 nmi (11 km; 6.9 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicFl R 2.5s (1995–), F R (–1995) Edit this on Wikidata

The Erie Harbor North Pier Light, also known as the Presque Isle North Pier Light, is one of the three lighthouses near Erie, Pennsylvania in the United States. The light, situated at the far eastern end of Presque Isle State Park, helps mariners as they traverse the narrow inlet between Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay.[1]

Originally constructed as a wooden tower in 1830, that light was swept away by a schooner in 1857.[2] The current structure was forged in France and assembled on site in Erie. It was moved in 1882 and again in 1940. The United States Coast Guard, which operates the beacon, changed its fixed red beam to an automated red flashing light in 1995, at which time the 4th order Fresnel lens was sent to the Erie Maritime Museum. In 2021, the lighthouse was featured on a postage stamp as part of the Mid-Atlantic Lighthouse series done by the United States Postal Service. The image of the light on the stamp was one of the last works done by artist Howard Koslow.[3]

  1. ^ "Erie Harbor North Pierhead Light". National Park Service. December 6, 2002. Archived from the original on 2007-04-06. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
  2. ^ Bates, Samuel P (1884). History of Erie County. Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co.
  3. ^ Lighthouses Collector's Set. USA: United States Postal Service. 2021. p. 47.