Fort Gratiot, named after General Charles Gratiot, the engineer in charge of its construction, was established in 1814 to guard the juncture of Lake Huron and the St. Clair River.

Its lighthouse, the oldest in Michigan, was constructed north of the fort in 1829 by Lucius Lyon who later became one of Michigan's first U.S. Senators.

Originally seventy-four feet high, the white painted brick tower was extended to its present height of eighty-six feet in the early 1860s.

The first official lighthouse keeper, Colonel George McDougall, Jr., served from 1825 until his death in 1842.

The green flashing light that was automated in 1933 may be seen for seventeen miles. The two-story brick light keeper's house, with its hipped gable roof and pointed gothic porch, was built in 1874-75.

Today, Coast Guardsmen are stationed at this point. The lighthouse watches over one of the busiest waterways in the world.

   

The photo on the left is believed to be the oldest known photo of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, taken circa 1870 shows the original Lighthouse Keeper's quarters, which burned down in December of 1873 due to candles catching a Christmas tree on fire.

The photo on the right was taken by photographer Louis Pesha circa 1910, and shows the 1900 - built foghorn building with original chimney height, and the Duplex, as well as what is believed to be one of the first foghorn buildings in the left hand corner.

A colorized photo of the 1874-built Keeper "Duplex", circa 1914, showing how heavily wooded the property once was:

CURRENT INFORMATION ON TOURS - The Fort Gratiot Lighthouse is not currently a satellite site of the Port Huron Museum, but the application process for transfer is currently underway to make it one. Until that transfer happens, tours of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse are offered free of charge May 1 to October 12 only with U.S.C.G. permission. Until the transfer, neither the Port Huron Museum nor the City of Port Huron can be held liable for the cancellation of tours due to changes in weather or the threat levels of the Office of Homeland Security.

Please note that there are no restroom facilities available at the lighthouse or park; and sandals and open-toes shoes are not permitted. If its raining, the U.S. Coast Guard has deemed that the steps and observation deck of the tower are hazardous, and no visitors will be allowed to climb the tower to the observation gallery in wet weather.

Public tours of the Lighthouse are offered:
11:00 am through 5:00 pm, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. For group tours of 20 or more people, please schedule with Sheila @ (810) 455-0214 extension 119.

UPDATE - As of May 2006, the City of Port Huron and the Port Huron Museum have passed the National Park Service phase of the application process for transfer of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse and former Coast Guard Station. It is hoped that the final approval and transfer of the property will pass through the General Services Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard in the near future. Further updates will be posted here as they become available.

Roxy and Bob say "Come visit us soon!"

New Fort Gratiot Lighthouse Realtime Webcam!
Courtesy Army Corps of Engineers / NOAA.