White River Light Station

In the early days of the U.S. Lighthouse Service, lighthouses were built based on two general designs with local modifications, and using local labor. This resulted in every lighthouse being a somewhat unique design, and generally in poor construction.

The Lighthouse Board was formed in 1852 with one of its specific goals being to standardize many of the lighthouse designs and apparatus.

In the early 1860s, several standard lighthouse designs were created by the Lighthouse Board to meet specific site criteria. One of these designs was for the ´Norman Gothic´ style lighthouse built at the White River Light Station. The first use of this design was at the Chambers Island lighthouse built in 1868. Later, this same design was used at the lighthouses located at Eagle Bluff, McGulpin´s Point, Eagle Harbor, White River, Passage Island, Sand Island, St. Clair Flats Canal and Squaw Island.

Construction of the main lighthouse began on Aug. 28, 1875 when keeper Robinson was instructed to employ five men. They began by grading the hill-top for the new main lighthouse under the orders of Mr. E. Rhodes the Lighthouse Service construction foreman. Keeper Robinson and his crew completed the grading work in early September, and Mr. Rhodes and a Lighthouse Service construction team began the actual construction of the main lighthouse on Sept. 28, 1875. William Robinson assisted in the construction by doing some of the masonry work himself, and the work progressed rapidly. The lighthouse tower´s yellow colored bricks and lime-stone foundation came from various locations in Wisconsin and Michigan, and the Lighthouse Service brought in the cast-iron lantern room wall fittings, glass, copper roof and special parts. The cast iron stair steps in the main tower were made by the Ryerson company in Muskegon, some 20 miles to the south of the lighthouse site. The work was completed on Dec. 28, 1875 when Mr. Rhodes and his team left the site.

All that remained to be done was the set-up of the Fresnel lens and the lens rotation clockwork machinery. In mid-April 1876, Mr. Crump, the Lighthouse Service Lampist, arrived to fit out the new lighthouse with a lens and lamp. The work went smoothly and the light in the new main lighthouse was exhibited for the first time on May 13,1876.

Excerpted with permission of the author from:
  White River light Station
  by Thomas A. Tag
  Copyright @ 1996

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