A Look Inside One of Erie’s Three Lighthouses

Lake Erie is the smallest, shallowest, and warmest of the Great Lakes. It also has the most shipwrecks and sinkings. In fact, it has recorded more sinkings than the Bermuda triangle.

This is why Erie, an important shipping port in the early 1800s, is home to three lighthouses – the Presque Isle Lighthouse and the North Pier Light which are both on Presque Isle State Park, and the Erie Land Lighthouse, as it is now known, which was the first commissioned light house along the Great Lakes.

You can see the exterior of all three lighthouses for free, and you can tour two of them – the Presque Isle Lighthouse and the Erie Land Lighthouse – for a small fee of $8 and $6, respectively, or you can see both for $12.

However, on the first Tuesday of the month, you can visit the Land Lighthouse (and the Bicentennial Tower) for free, something my daughter, Lauren, and I took advantage of last week.

We had been to the Land Lighthouse a few times before, but had never been inside, and it was worth our lunch hour.

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Third Time Is the Charm

The Land Lighthouse not hard to find, it is literally at the end of Lighthouse Street on Erie’s east side, but it is surprising because a.) it’s surrounded by homes/a neighborhood, b.) it’s not that close to the lake ….anymore.

As Lake Erie Lights of PA, a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving Erie’s lighthouses, explains:

“The lighthouse’s location was strategically chosen at the entrance of what was then an ‘s’ shaped entrance to the bay and the port of Erie. Presque Isle is a dynamic landmass, called a sandspit, that changes over time.”

Wait, what? The park is moving? Yes, the peninsula is constantly moving (slowly, but consistently) to the east as its reshaped by wind and water.

So, back in 1818, the lighthouse was very close to the entrance of the bay, positioned on a cliff that, as it turned out, was too close to the water. The lighthouse began to sink and lean because it was constructed on wet and sandy. Eventually, it had to be replaced. A new one was constructed in 1857 with a deeper foundation at the same location.

Want to guess what happened?  Yes, same thing, but faster. In less than ten years, it had to be demolished.

When it came time to rebuild the lighthouse for the third time, they decided, wisely, to move it 200 feet from its original site, dug down 20 feet for the foundation, and used Berea sandstone, which was lighter and more durable than brick.

Fortunately, the third time was the charm as the Land Lighthouse you see today, is the one rebuilt in the new location in 1867.

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View from the top

Facts about Erie Land Lighthouse

• It is 49 feet tall.

• There are 69 iron steps to the lantern room.

• It is 128 feet above Lake Erie and offers a great view of the channel and North Pier light.

• It was decommissioned in 1899 after the shifting peninsula made the light invisible to most ships coming into harbor and Erie’s other two lights rendered the Land Lighthouse unnecessary.

• It was turned over to the City of Erie in the 1930s and fell into disrepair.

• In 1978, it was listed on the national register of historic places.

• In 2004, it underwent $400,000 of restoration work.

• In 2010, the Erie Western PA Port Authority assumed responsibility for it.

To Know Before You Go:

• The Land Lighthouse is open Fridays through Mondays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• It is located at 2 Lighthouse Street, Erie PA 16507.

• There is a small parking lot right next to the lighthouse and parking is free.

• The steps to the top are spiral iron half-steps (see photos) and likely not a great idea for those who are afraid of heights. There are railings all the way, though.

• It is tight in some spots, particularly at the very top, when you need to crouch/duck down to emerge onto the observation deck.

• There are no restrooms available.

• The Erie Land Lighthouse is not accessible at this time.

• There is a very small gift shop operated out of the ground floor of the lighthouse where you can find some unique things, like a cool map of all the shipwrecks in Lake Erie for just $7.

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There are 69 iron steps to reach the viewing platform of the Erie Land Lighthouse.

Erie Insider tip: The Erie Land Lighthouse is FREE on the first Tuesday of every month from May-October and the second Saturday of the month is a pay-what-you-wish admission day.

The North Pier light at Presque Isle State Park.

Erie’s Other Lights & Fun Events

You can learn more about Erie’s other lighthouses at Lake Erie Lights of PA.

Lake Erie Lights has a whole slate of events at the lighthouses this summer, including Summerfest at the Erie Land Lighthouse this Saturday, June 15, from Noon to 5:00 p.m. There will be chance auctions, local vendors/crafters, a bake sale, food trucks, live performances and, of course, tower climbs.