July 3, 2025

Michigan Has More Lighthouses Than Any Other State

Discover why Michigan, with the most lighthouses in the U.S., stands as a beacon of Great Lakes history, from women keepers to top lighthouse destinations.

Photo: South Haven Lighthouse courtesy of Robert Kelch

If you had to guess which state has the most lighthouses, which would you choose?

Perhaps Maine, the ‘lighthouse state.’ Or maybe North Carolina and the Outer Banks come to mind? Turn your eyes toward the Great Lakes – it’s Michigan. With 3,288 miles of shoreline in the U.S., second only to Alaska, Michigan has the longest freshwater coastline in the world, and the most lighthouses in the United States.

Michigan Lighthouses

Michigan has a rich history with lighthouses – take the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse. Built in 1829, it is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Michigan and the first built on Lake Huron.

How about the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, known as the “Castle of the Straits” on Mackinac Island? Built in 1889, it navigated mariners through the treacherous Mackinac Straits. And the South Haven Lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouses in Michigan. The elevated cast-iron catwalk on the pier adds to its picturesque look, once used by lighthouse keepers who were forced to access the second level during high waves.

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse courtesy of Robert Kelch

The Work of a Lighthouse Keeper

Extensive knowledge of the sea and stamina for long and grueling hours were essential qualities of a lighthouse keeper. The Instructions to Employees of the US Lighthouse Service, dated 1915, offers 92 pages of details on everything from how to report a wreck or clean lenses, to how to store oil. Keepers were also required to “show themselves a good example of virtue, honor, and patriotism…”

And while we may picture a lighthouse keeper as a weathered old seaman, many women served, and served well.

Women Lighthouse Keepers

During the 1800s, employment for women was almost unheard of, with the exception of a lighthouse keeper, one of the first non-clerical U.S. government jobs open to women. Women would regularly assist their husbands with lighthouse duties, and were often appointed keepers should their husbands become ill or die.

Elizabeth Whitney Williams was a famous woman lighthouse keeper, whose husband was assigned to Beaver Island. Not yet 30 years old, she became keeper when he died in 1872. Stepping into the role she wrote in her book A Child of the Sea & Life Among Mormons: “life to me then seemed darker than the midnight storm… but I realized that though the life that was dearest to me had gone, yet there were others out on the dark and treacherous waters who needed to catch the rays of the shining light from my light-house tower.”

She found a fulfilling purpose in her life as a keeper and continued, “all my life and energy was given to the work which now seemed to be given to me to do. The lighthouse was the only home I had, and I was glad and willing to do my best.”

She retired at the age of 70 after serving 41 years and received the “Best Kept Light” on the Great Lakes award while achieving one of the most exemplary service records.

South Haven Lighthouse wintertime courtesy of Robert Kelch

Visit Michigan Lighthouses

All of Michigan’s operating lighthouses are unmanned, with many open to the public as museums. Come visit them. Climb to the top and enjoy the views from the Ontonagon, Point Iroquois, and South Manitou Island lighthouses. Stay at the Big Bay Point bed and breakfast. Or visit the Whitefish Point Lighthouse, the oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Superior, located at what is known as the “Graveyard of the Great Lakes.”

The Most Iconic Lighthouse of All

OK, time for our last pop quiz – name the most iconic lighthouse in the U.S. I’ll give you a hint – it seems fitting that the ladies of the lights get the nod. The most iconic lighthouse is the Statue of Liberty.