Frankfort Light

Image:USCGfrankfortlight.jpg

The harbor at Frankfort was first dredged in 1859.{{cite web | title = Frankfort North Breakwater Light | publisher = Seeing the Light | author = Terry Pepper | url = http://terrypepper.com/lights/michigan/frankfort/frankfort.htm | access-date = January 1, 2014}} A series of improvements were begun in 1867, with piers completed in 1873. The original Frankfort North Breakwater lighthouse, an enclosed timber-framed pyramid beacon, was built in 1873 at the end of this long wooden pier with an elevated catwalk which led to the shore; the light was first lit on October 15, 1873. A fog signal was added in 1893.

In 1912, a new square steel pyramidal tower was constructed on the North Pier. The light was electrified in 1919. In the 1920s, construction began on a pair of concrete breakwaters at the harbor entrance. Construction was complete by the early 1930s. With the earlier piers now rendered obsolete, plans were made to shorten them. In 1932,{{cite web | title = Frankfort North Breakwater, MI | publisher = Lighthouse Friends | url = http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=198 | access-date = January 2, 2014}} the 1912 lighthouse was removed from the north pier and relocated at the head of the north breakwater. The original pyramid style lighthouse was increased in size by placing it on top of a new two-story addition.

In 2010, the US Coast Guard excessed the lighthouse, and in 2011 ownership was transferred to the city of Frankfort.

The current breakwater light in Frankfort is located at the head of the north breakwater. It is a square steel pyramidal tower; the original 1912 lighthouse stands {{convert|44|ft}} tall. The light is placed atop a {{convert|25|ft|adj=on}} tall square steel base. The cast iron lantern room, surrounded by a gallery, originally contained a fifth order Fresnel lens that was upgraded to a fourth order Fresnel lens. Other structures associated with the light include a radio beacon and a United States Coast Guard station.{{cite web | title = Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse | publisher = Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy | url = http://www.michiganlights.com/frankfortnorthbreakwaterlh.htm | access-date = January 1, 2014}}

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080531005328/http://www.michiganlighthouse.org/bibliography.html Bibliography on Michigan lighthouses.]
• Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein, The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses (2002) {{ISBN|1-59223-102-0}}.
• Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan. The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995. {{ISBN|0-8143-2554-8}}
• Jones, Ray & Bruce Roberts, American Lighthouses (Globe Pequot, September 1, 1998, 1st Ed.) {{ISBN|0-7627-0324-5}}.
• Jones, Ray,The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference (Globe Pequot, January 1, 2004, 1st ed.) {{ISBN|0-7627-2735-7}}.
• Noble, Dennis, Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy (Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997). {{ISBN|1-55750-638-8}}.
• Oleszewski, Wes, Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) {{ISBN|0-932212-98-0}}.
• Penrod, John, Lighthouses of Michigan, (Berrien Center, Michigan: Penrod/Hiawatha, 1998) {{ISBN|0-942618-78-5}}.
• Putnam, George R., Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
• United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation, (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
• {{cite uscgnavbib}}
• {{cite web|url=http://clarke.cmich.edu/lighthouses/index.htm |author= Wagner, John L. |title=Beacons Shining in the Night: The Lighthouses of Michigan | publisher=Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University}}
• Wagner, John L., Michigan Lighthouses: An Aerial Photographic Perspective, (East Lansing, Michigan: John L. Wagner, 1998) {{ISBN|1-880311-01-1}}.
• Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) {{ISBN|1-55046-399-3}}.

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{{commons category|Frankfort Lighthouse}}

• [http://marinas.com/view/lighthouse/300 Aerial photos, Frankfort Lighthouse, marinas.com.]
• [http://www.michigan.gov/documents/hal_mhc_shpo_Ludington_Light_fact_sheet_118713_7.pdf National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act FACT SHEET (March 7, 2005).]

{{Lighthouses of Michigan}}

{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan}}

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Category:Lighthouses completed in 1873

Category:Lighthouses completed in 1932

Category:Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan

Category:Buildings and structures in Benzie County, Michigan

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Benzie County, Michigan