Pennsylvania Lighthouses

Pennsylvania has 4 lighthouses, 3 active, on its Lake Erie shoreline in the northwestern corner of the state. Diagonally across the state, at the southeastern corner, here are no longer any traditional lighthouses on the Delaware River, but there is a former light station in Chester and an interesting example of a privately-built beacon on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Lake Erie USCG numbers are from USCG Light List Volume VII; Delaware River USCG numbers are from Vol. II.

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General Sources

Lighthouses of Pennsylvania

Excellent photographs from LighthouseFriends.com.

Lighthouses of Lake Erie

Photographs and accounts of recent visits by Rudy and Alice Rico.

Pennsylvania Lights

Photos and accounts posted by Rod Watson.

Lost Lighthouses of Pennsylvania

A very interesting June 2003 Lighthouse Digest article by Bob Trapani.

Presque Isle Light, January 2004
Creative Commons photo copyright C.W. Bash

Northwestern Pennsylvania Lighthouses

Lake Erie Lighthouses
* Erie Land (3): 1867 (station established 1818). Inactive 1881-1885 and since 1899. 49 ft (15 m) round sandstone tower with lantern and gallery, unpainted. Lantern roof and watch room painted white. The original 3° clamshell Fresnel lens was transferred in 1902 to Marblehead Light in Ohio, and it is now on display at the Marblehead keeper's house. The original 2-story wood keeper's house, renovated in 1979, provides a residence for the park caretaker. Tower raised 17 ft (5 m) in 1897. The Ricos also have a page for the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. The lantern and watch room, removed around 1900, were replaced by wooden copies (1989) as part of a restoration of the tower. In May 2003 a wind gust blew the lantern off, but it was about to be replaced anyway by a historically accurate replica. The restoration project was completed in early 2004; in addition to replacement of the lantern, the project cleaned and repaired the exterior of the lighthouse and the interior stairway. Lighthouse Digest carried a report in April 2004. The lighthouse was rededicated in June. Archaeologists working at the light station have uncovered the foundations of an 1818 tower, the earliest U.S. lighthouse on the Great Lakes. Located in Land Lighthouse Park at the end of Lighthouse Street in downtown Erie. Site open daily, tower closed. Owner/site manager: City of Erie. ARLHS USA-921.
* Erie Yacht Club Breakwater: Date unknown. Active April through October (privately maintained); focal plane 32 ft (10 m); white flash every 2 s. 36 ft (11 m) round cylindrical steel tower, painted white, with a black lantern. Located off PA 5A and Virginia Avenue on the west side of Erie; Google has a satellite view. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Erie Yacht Club. ARLHS USA-1313; USCG 7-3660.
* Erie Harbor Pierhead (Presque Isle North Pier) (2): 1858 (station established 1830). Active; focal plane 42 ft (13 m); red flash every 2.5 s. 34 ft (10 m) square cast iron tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with a horizontal black band; the lantern is also black. Solar-powered lens (1995); the original 4° Fresnel lens is displayed at the Erie Maritime Museum. A nice closeup photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse replaced an 1830 wood tower destroyed by collision with a ship in 1857. No other surviving U.S. lighthouse shares this design. The tower has been moved twice (in 1882 and 1940) to accommodate changes in the pier. Located on the north side of the Erie Harbor channel entrance at the eastern end of Presque Isle State Park. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-274; USCG 7-3495.
* Presque Isle: 1873. Active; focal plane 73 ft (22 m); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 67 ft (20.5 m) square cylindrical brick tower rising from a 1-1/2 story brick keeper's house. 300 mm lens. Tower painted white, lantern and gallery black. The tower was raised from 40 ft (12 m) in 1896. The keeper's house is a residence for the state park manager. A photo is at the top of this page, the Ricos also have a nice page for the lighthouse, Britten has an excellent closeup photo, and Google has a satellite view. Presque Isle is a large sand spit projecting toward the northeast and protecting Erie Harbor; the entire spit is now included in a Pennsylvania state park. There is a historical exhibit outdoors near the lighthouse. In 2006 a new preservation organization, Keepers of the Erie Lights, launched a fundraising drive to restore the grounds and rebuild outbuildings. The Pennsylvania legislature approved a vanity license plate featuring the lighthouse; $17 from the sale of each plate goes toward the restoration effort. Located on the beach in Presque Isle State Park (end of PA 832). Site open, tower closed. Owner: Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Site manager: Presque Isle State Park. ARLHS USA-666; USCG 7-3690.

Southeastern Pennsylvania Lighthouses

Schuylkill River Lighthouse
* Turtle Rock: 1887. Generally inactive, but a decorative light is displayed on special occasions. Approx. 30 ft (9 m) round cylindrical brick tower with hexagonal lantern and gallery, mounted atop a 1-story wing of a 2-story brick clubhouse. The tower is unpainted red brick, lantern and gallery painted white. Anderson has fine photos, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was originally built by the Fairmount Park Commissioners to guide steamboat traffic. Restored by members of the Sedgeley Club in 1990. Located on the north bank of the river at the upstream end of Boathouse Row (15 Kelly Drive), below the Girard Avenue Bridge (US 30) in Philadelphia. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Sedgeley Club. ARLHS USA-1088.

Delaware River Lighthouse Chester (Schooner Ledge) Range Rear (3): 2001 (station established 1880). Active; focal plane 110 ft (33.5 m); continuous green light visible only on the range line. 105 ft (32 m) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower. No photo available. The 1880 lighthouse, a pyramidal skeletal cast iron tower, was replaced by an automated skeletal tower in 1918. The 1880 lighthouse was held in storage and then relocated to Michigan Island, Wisconsin in 1929. Located in a heavy industrial area on the Delaware River just east of downtown Chester. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-741; USCG 2-3235.

Notable faux lighthouses:

Sherman Memorial (Tionesta) (2006), located on an island in the Allegheny River, is a working lighthouse but not an aid to navigation. Guided tours are offered periodically. The Pennsylvania Hunting and Fishing Museum is to be built near the lighthouse.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Fort Mifflin Blockhouse (1849-1881), Delaware River. ARLHS USA-1131.
Horseshoe Lower Range Front (1881-?), Upper Range Front (1881-1931), and Rear (1881-1920), Delaware River. ARLHS USA-384, 1132, and 385, respectively.
Schooner Ledge Range Front (1880-about 1915), Delaware River. ARLHS USA-169.
Schuylkill River Range Front and Rear (1875-about 1912), mouth of Schuylkill River. ARLHS USA-1206 and 1207.

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