page_title: Erie Land Light
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Erie Land Light / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Pre-1914 postcard of the Erie Land lighthouse Smithsonian metadata: Erie Land State: PA Year established: 1818 Latitude: 42 deg 8 min 38 sec N Longitude: 80 deg 3 min 49 sec W Height above sea level: 49 feet Original construction: 20-foot square stone tower Rebuilds: 1858: round 56-foot brick tower 1867: current conical stone tower built 1897: The tower was raised 17 feet Status: inactive from 1881 - 1885; deactivated in 1899; attraction in Land Lighthouse Park undergoing restoration in 2004 Notes: Originally known as the "Presque Isle Light Station", the name was changed to "Erie Light Station" in 1870. More information: http://www.cr.nps.gov/maritime/light/erieland.htm http://www.lighthousedigest.com/Digest/StoryPage.cfm?StoryKey=1940 http://www.rudyalicelighthouse.net/ErieLts/ErieLand/ErieLand.htm Holland, Jr. F.Ross, America's Lighthouses Their Illustrated History Since 1716 , (Brattleboro, VT: The Stephen Greene Press, 1972) p. 176 Berger, Todd R., Lighthouses of the Great Lakes, (Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press, 2002), p. 144
context_page_description: The Erie Land Light, also known as the Old Presque Isle Light, is a lighthouse on the shore of Lake Erie in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is one of the three lighthouses in Erie, along with the Presque Isle Light and the North Pier Light. The lighthouse is situated on the bluffs overlooking the lake in Lighthouse Park east of downtown Erie.
  The lighthouse was originally constructed in 1818 becoming one of the first to be built by the United States on the Great Lakes. The tower was replaced in 1851 for the first time; in 1858, due to its poor foundations and soil quality, it sank into the ground. The current structure was built in 1867 and remained in service until 1880. It was reactivated five years later before being permanently decommissioned in 1899. Both the lenses and lantern were eventually removed. The Erie Land Light was sold to the city of Erie in 1934 and was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1936. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
context_section_description: In 1810, Congress authorized the construction and appropriated $1,600 for the first two lighthouses on the Great Lakes; one to be located at "the junction of Buffalo Creek and Lake Erie" and the other "on or near Presq' isle [sic]". A total of 2 to 4 acres (1 to 2 ha) of land overlooking the entrance to the channel into Presque Isle Bay was ceded by Brigadier General John Kelso of the Pennsylvania militia on April 2, 1811 for the lighthouse. Both the construction of the Buffalo Main Light and the Erie Land Light were delayed until 1818.
  By 1858, the original, square, 20-foot (6 m) tower had begun to sink into the ground. The second tower was a 56-foot-tall (17 m), cylindrical tower built from "Milwaukee brick". The foundation of this tower was also unable to cope and had to be replaced again by 1866. An investigation found that a layer of quicksand was below the foundation of the Erie Land Light. To ensure the third tower remain sturdy, unlike its predecessors, the foundation was dug 20 feet (6 m) deep. Eight courses of oak timbers 12 by 12 inches (30 cm × 30 cm) and 20 feet (6 m) long formed the base of the foundation. Atop the timber was poured 6 feet (1.8 m) of Portland cement mixed with crushed limestone; stone 8 feet (2.4 m) thick was laid on the concrete. The third tower was built from sandstone. The Fresnel lens that was installed in the new tower cost $7,000 and shipped from Paris, France. A two-story, saltbox lightkeeper's house was also built at the same time.
  On the recommendation of the naval inspector for the lighthouse district, the Erie Land Light was deactivated in 1880; it was sold for $1,800. After much public outcry, the lighthouse was repurchased in 1884 for double the amount and was reactivated the next year by an act of Congress. In 1886, the lighthouse was again decommissioned, though caretakers were still appointed and the beacon continued to operate until December 26, 1899 when it was finally extinguished. The lenses were removed in 1902 and were sent to the Marblehead Light in Ohio. After the lantern room was removed, the top of the tower was covered in tar paper. The lighthouse was acquired by the city of Erie in 1934.
caption: On a pre-1914 postcard
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