Location | Mackinac County, Michigan |
---|---|
Coordinates | 45°50′13.8″N 84°36′59.7″W / 45.837167°N 84.616583°W |
Tower | |
Constructed | 1895 |
Foundation | Concrete pier |
Construction | Brick |
Automated | 1924 |
Height | 57 feet (17 m)[1] |
Shape | Square |
Markings | red w/ black lantern, trim & attached house w/ red lower & cream upper |
Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
Light | |
First lit | 1895 |
Deactivated | 1947 |
Focal height | 53 feet (16 m)[2] |
Lens | Fourth Order Fresnel Lens (original), 12-inch (300 mm) Tideland signal ML-300 acrylic optic[4] (current) |
Range | 16 nautical miles; 29 kilometres (18 mi) |
Characteristic | Fl W 10 seconds[3] |
Round Island Lighthouse | |
Nearest city | Mackinac Island, Michigan |
Area | 0.9 acres (0.36 ha) |
NRHP reference No. | 74000994[5] |
Added to NRHP | August 21, 1974 |
The Round Island Light, also known as the Old Round Island Point Lighthouse,[6] is a lighthouse located on the west shore of Round Island in the shipping lanes of the Straits of Mackinac,[7] which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.[6][8][9] It was deemed necessary because the island is a significant hazard to navigation in the straits, and was seen as an effective complement to the other lights in the area.[10] Because of its color scheme and form — red stone base and wood tower — it has been likened to an old-fashioned schoolhouse.[11] Ferries regularly pass it on their way to (and from) Mackinac Island, and it is a recognizable icon of the upper Great Lakes.
The lighthouse looks like a taller version of the old-fashioned American schoolhouse [...]