St. Joseph MI North Pier outer and inner lighthouses

Benton Harbor Michigan also known as the St. Joseph North Pier Lighthouse outer cast iron and inner steel lights located on the north jetty. The outer light has part of the lantern catwalk missing possibly from storm damage. According to a local resident Lake Michigan froze over during the winter of 2013/4 resulting in much less wave action along these structures than when the lake remains open.

The lights are connected by an elevated iron framework that used to have an elevated catwalk deck and guardrails. This walkway allowed lighthouse tenders to get to the light structures without risking a traverse of the icy surface of the jetty itself. Both lights are operational and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

2009 winter photo

photograph copyright 2014 George Hutchinson