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After 23 years, the nonprofit Waugoshance Lighthouse Preservation Society (WLPS) has dissolved, believing that the lighthouse is beyond the financial capabilities of being saved.
Established in 1861 in the Straits of Mackinac, it was the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes to be built totally surrounded by water. It was abandoned in 1912 when its duties were taken over by the White Shoal Lighthouse.
In World War II, the U.S. Navy used the lighthouse as target practice, which resulted in heavy damage to the structure.
It has been stated that it will cost $300,000 to install a temporary fix to protect the crumbling foundation from the record high water levels, a fix that may last for only a year or two. Plus, most likely, it will cost as much as $3 million or more to save the crumbling structure.
The WLPS has suggested that the best thing to do at this point would be to remove the bird cage style lantern and other possible artifacts, and put them on display at a museum somewhere. However, there are others who still believe that the lighthouse can be restored and saved.
This story appeared in the
Mar/Apr 2021 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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