Erie Harbor Lighthouses Lighthouse
Location & Light Range
About Erie Harbor Lighthouses Lighthouse
Built in 1857, this 10-meter-tall, square cast iron tower, covered with steel plates, marks the entrance to Erie Harbor. It displays white with a horizontal black band, and a black lantern. The light shows a red flash every 2.5 seconds. This structure succeeded a wooden tower destroyed by a ship impact in 1855. Modifications included enclosing the lower section in the 1890s and adding steel plates in 1940. The tower has been moved three times (1882, 1891, 1940) to adapt to pier extensions. It became available for transfer under NHLPA in January 2023 and was awarded a no-cost lease in June 2025, with ownership transferring to the Corps of Engineers.
Why it matters: This lighthouse, constructed in 1857, is the sole surviving U.S. lighthouse with its specific square cast iron configuration and provides navigation for vessels entering Erie Harbor.
Light & Optic
- Flash Type
- Flashing
- Light Color
- Red
- Interval
- 2.5s
- Raw Code
- Fl R 2.5s
- Focal Height
- 13m
- Geographic Range
- 11.3NM
Construction & History
- Year Built
- 1857
- Heritage Status
- Available for transfer under NHLPA (2023)
Significant events: replaced an 1830 wood tower destroyed by collision with a ship in 1855, lower portion enclosed in the 1890s, steel plates added in 1940, moved three times (1882, 1891, 1940) to accommodate pier extensions, became available for transfer under NHLPA in January 2023, awarded no-cost lease in June 2025 with ownership transferred to Corps of Engineers
References & Identifiers
- Nearest Port
- Erie(0.4 km)
- ARLHS No.
- USA-274
Tower & Structure
- Tower Height
- 10m
- Tower Shape
- square
- Tower Color
- white with a horizontal black band
- Material
- cast iron, steel plates
Structure: A 10m square cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, covered with steel plates, painted white with a horizontal black band; the lantern is black.
Location
- City
- Millcreek Township
- Country
- 🇺🇸United States
- Region
- Pennsylvania
- Sea Region
- Erie Harbor, also called Presque Isle Bay, an oval-shaped lagoon sheltered by the peninsula of Presque Isle. It marks the shallow entrance to the lagoon at its east end, held open by a dredged canal. Located on the north side of the Erie Harbor channel entrance at the eastern end of Presque Isle State Park, close to the Coast Guard Station Erie.
- Latitude
- 42.1562°
- Longitude
- -80.0710°
Nearby Vessels
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