MARBLEHEAD, Ohio (WTVG) – The Marblehead Lighthouse has stood along the shores of Lake Erie for more than two centuries, lighting the way for Great Lakes sailors.
Heidi Osborne is the executive director of the Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society.
“The Marblehead Lighthouse was originally built in 1821 in 11 weeks by William Kelly, and then he had three or four men who helped him using the rock from the area,” Osborne said.
“The lighthouse was lit in 1822, and it has been lit ever since. It’s the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes,” Osborne said.
Through the years, what’s used to create that beacon of light has changed drastically.
“It was originally whale oil, and then it went to kerosene, and now it is electric light. It is actually LEDs. So it has seen the spectrum of all the different types of oil and energy over the course of the last 204 years,” Osborne said.
Even though it was a relatively quick process to build the lighthouse, it was not easy maintaining it in the early years.
Jack Larimer is a tour guide for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
“It had to be difficult in the beginning, because in the beginning at the lighthouse, there were no steps. They used a series of ladders and boards to carry fuel up. The steps weren’t put in until the year 1897,” Larimer said.
Today, those steps take people to one of the best ways to take in the beauty of Lake Erie.
“On a clear day, you can certainly see Sandusky, Kelleys Island, the three Bass Islands. There’s been several days in the summer when you can catch a glimpse of the sun shining off the KeyBank building in Cleveland, Ohio if the skies are clear enough and the sun is at the right angle. So you can see from quite aways up there” Larimer said.
The state park attracts visitors from all over.
“This summer, one day alone, we had guests from 12 different states. We had someone from England that same day, we had someone from Czechoslovakia and someone from Australia,” Osborne said. “And we estimate there’s about one million people who come and visit the lighthouse park every year, and about 25,000 go up the lighthouse during the season.”
Built fewer than 50 years after America was founded, the lighthouse remains a steadfast reminder of the foundation of our country more than two centuries later.
“It is a multi-generational spot. There’s so many people who come here for different reasons. They come here for art, for painting, for photography. They come here to geocache, they come here to remember loved ones who brought them here when they were younger,” Osborne said.
“We are very proud to keep this as it is and not only maintain it, but improve it as we can every year,” Larimer said.
It is 77 steps up the winding staircase to the top of the lighthouse. One of the first lighthouse keepers at Marblehead was a woman.
The lighthouse is open seven days a week through Labor Day, then open only on weekends through mid-October.
A lifesaving station is also open for tours, along with space for picnics and walks along the shoreline. A live webcam allows viewing of the lighthouse at any time, day or night.
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