ASHTABULA HARBOR WEST BREAKWATER

Type:
Year Established:
1904
Existing:
Yes
incorporated dwelling and tower
Download:
File Type:
png (image/png)
Photo Courtesy of:
US Lighthouse Society Archives
Collection / Donor:

LOCATION

Location:
ASHTABULA HARBOR ENT/LAKE ERIE
Latitude:
41° 55.1'
Longitude:
80° 47.8'
City / Town:
ASHTABULA
U.S. State:
Ohio
Location County:
ASHTABULA
Country:
United States

OWNER & ACCESS

Open to Public:
Yes
Light List Data:
  1. ASHTABULA HARBOR WEST BREAKWATER
Light list data courtesy Gary Riemenschneider

STRUCTURE

Year Tower Established:
1916
Tower Construction Material:
STEEL W/IRON PLATE
Tower Foundation:
CONCRETE CRIB (1916)
Height of light above mean high water, in feet:
51
Height, in feet, from base of structure to center of lantern:
40
Tower Shape:
CYLINDRICAL TOWER ON SQUARE HOUSE
Fog Signal Building?:
Yes
Year Fog Signal Building Constructed:
1904
Keeper's Quarters?:
Yes
Year Keeper's Quarters:
1896
Keeper's Quarters Style:
DUPLEX (ON SHORE)
Keeper's Quarters Construction:
WOOD
Other Structures:
RADIOBEACON

OPTICS

Active Aid to Navigation?:
Yes
Original Optic Type:
FOURTH ORDER, FRESNEL
Year Original Lens Installed:
1916
Private Aid:
No
USCG Access to Optics:
No
Comments:

Historical Information:

  • 1835: The tower is 40’ above Lake Erie and is constructed of steel and iron plate. 1928: During a winter Storm in 1928 two keepers were imprisoned by a fierce ice storm that encapsulated the lighthouse. They had to thaw the door and tunnel through ice 5’ thick in places.
  • 1916: The US Lighthouse Service built its own version of the Mercury Float for a 4th order lens and installed it at the Ashtabula West Breakwater Lighthouse.
  • 1995: A modern optic was installed in the lighthouse, and its Fresnel lens was removed and placed on exhibit at the Ashtabula Marine Museum.
  • The Great Lakes marine and U.S. Coast Guard Memorial Museum is across the parking lot from the best view of the lighthouse. The Keepers house is now a museum and full of pictorial history of Ashtabula. An extensive collection of ship models and the pilothouse from the steamer Thomas Walters are on display.
Entered by:
t.wheeler
Entered Date:
Jul 21, 2017