Two Harbors

Type:
Year Established:
1892
Existing:
Yes
Source:
LL-1901
Two Harbors
Download:
File Type:
jpeg (image/jpeg)
Photo Date:
1995
Photo Credit:
Thomas Tag
Photo Courtesy of:
US Lighthouse Society Archives
Collection / Donor:

LOCATION

Location:
POINT BETWEEN AGATE & BURLINGTON BAYS
Latitude:
47° 0.0'53"
Longitude:
91° 39'24"
City / Town:
TWO HARBORS
U.S. State:
Minnesota
Location County:
LAKE
Country:
United States

OWNER & ACCESS

Open to Public:
Yes
Light List Data:
  1. Two Harbors
Light list data courtesy Gary Riemenschneider

STRUCTURE

Year Tower Established:
1892
Tower Construction Material:
BRICK
Tower Foundation:
STONE
Height of light above mean high water, in feet:
78 FT ABOVE WATER
Height, in feet, from base of structure to center of lantern:
43.5 FT
Tower Shape:
SQUARE
Fog Signal Building?:
Yes
Year Fog Signal Building Constructed:
1892
Fog Signal Bldg Construction Materials:
WOOD
Keeper's Quarters?:
Yes
Year Keeper's Quarters:
1892
Keeper's Quarters Style:
ATTACHED TO TOWER
Keeper's Quarters Construction:
RED BRICK
Other Structures:
WOOD STORAGE BUILDING, RED BRICK OIL HOUSE, WOODEN ASST. KEEPERS DWELLING (1892), WOOD GARAGE (1936)

OPTICS

Active Aid to Navigation?:
Yes
Current Optic:
DCB-224
Original Optic Type:
FOURTH ORDER, FRESNEL
Year Original Lens Installed:
1892
Private Aid:
No
USCG Access to Optics:
No
Comments:

Historical Information:

  • Oldest operating lighthouse in the State of Minnesota.
  • 1891: Construction began and was completed in 1892 to help provide safe passage into Agate Bay Harbor.
  • 1921: The light was first lit by electricity.
  • 1941: A Radio Beacon distance finding system was installed.
  • 1969: The Fresnel lens was replaced with a 24” aerobeacon with two 1000-watt bulbs, which is in current use. Original lens on display at Inland Seas Museum, Ohio.
  • 1973: The fog horn was discontinued.
  • 1982: The light station was decommissioned, but the light is still in use. Light Station is a current aid to navigation, museum, and a bed and breakfast inn.
  • 1984: The Light Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • 1987: U.S. Coast Guard members stopped use of the keeper’s house.
  • 2001: The Lake County Historical Society assumed responsibility for the operation of the light from the U.S. Coast Guard.
  • 2010: The Lake County Historical Society received a grant in 2010 from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Lake Superior Coastal Program for new exhibits at the Light Station. History of the light station is featured in the Frontenac Pilot House added by the historical society as museum space. The Light Station is open to the public.
Entered by:
t.wheeler
Entered Date:
Jul 21, 2017