BRADDOCK POINT

Historical Information:

• 1895: A contract for construction of the keeper’s dwelling, tower and a wood shed for Braddock Point was approved. The octagonal, 110-foot red brick tower was nearly identical to the one at the Cleveland Main lighthouse and many portions of the Cleveland tower were used in Braddock's construction when the Cleveland Main lighthouse was demolished at the same time that Braddock Point was under construction.
• 1896: The light from the tower’s third-and-a- half-order Fresnel lens was exhibited for the first time on August 17.
• 1899: The Fresnel lens, which could be seen over an arc of 180°, was removed and replaced with a 270° lens that could be seen from all points of approach from the lake.
• 1902: In order to stop leaks in the tower it became necessary to remove and replace the entire lantern, lantern deck, parapet gallery deck and rails, and all connecting ironwork. All the ironwork was cleaned and repainted, and all joints were bedded in cement made of red and white lead. The 3 1⁄2 order lens was discontinued while the tower was being repaired, from May 8 to June 30, 1902, during which time a lens-lantern light was exhibited from the northern face of the tower.
• 1954: The lighthouse was replaced by a skeletal steel tower; the upper two-thirds of the tower had to be removed due to extensive structural damage.
• 1957: The dwelling, 30-foot tower, 4.7 acres of land, 1,200 feet of lakefront, and the carriage house were sold to Walter and Kay Stone.
• 1986: Robert and Barbara Thulin purchased the lighthouse property and initiated an eight-year renovation. Structural walls, pocket doors, wainscoting, and moldings were all replaced to return the lighthouse to its former grandeur.
• 1995: The tower was rebuilt to a height of sixty-five feet, and after receiving the Coast Guard’s approval the lighthouse was relit in 1996.
• 2008: The was purchased by Donald and Nandy Town who opened the keeper's dwelling as Braddock Point Bed & Breakfast in 2010.