During very harsh winters, this lighthouse has been known to freeze. Icicles form in intense shapes as the wind bashes against it.
The St. Joseph River divides the present-day communities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph where it empties into southern Lake Michigan. As early as the 1830's, the location of the St. Joseph River made the area important to shipping. The ship crews needed the help of the citizens of the city. Legend has it that in the early 1800s the family of a Captain Pickering would hang lanterns in the second story windows of their Lake Michigan home on the expected arrival of his ship to help guide him into the harbor, thus making their home St. Joseph's first lighthouse.
The first Michigan lighthouse on Lake Michigan was built in St. Joseph in 1832 and stood on a bluff on the mainland. The lighthouse was put into operation soon after its completion. Fourteen years later, a wood pier was build extending out into Lake Michigan, and a new lighthouse was built at end of the pier. In 1886 the lighthouse was furnished with a Fresnel lens. In 1905 a Fourth Order Fresnel lens was installed and in 1907 the pier was extended and a steel outer light was added which was lit by a Fifth Order Fresnel lens.
The original shore light continued operating until 1924. The building was then occupied by the American Red Cross, and served as the local headquarters until 1954, when the building was sold to the City of St. Joseph. Unfortunately, the building was torn down in 1955 to create additional parking.
Both pier lights, which are one of the few remaining pier range light systems on the Great Lakes, are still in operation. The outer light rests on a steel structure about 30 feet tall. The inner light is contained in a larger building. The two-story steel-sided structure has a red hip roof. An octagonal tower rises an additional two stories above the house and is topped by a black iron parapet and walkway.
A catwalk extends over 300 yards from shore to the second story of the lighthouse. Catwalks were built so that lighthouse keepers could access the lights when the sea was rough and the waves were crashing over the pier making it too slippery to walk on. The walkway continues on to the outer light.
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