Erie Harbor North Pier Light

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Erie Harbor North Pier Light
Erie Harbor North Pier Light.jpg
Erie Harbor North Pier Light
Location Presque Isle, Pennsylvania, United States OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Coordinates 42°09′24″N80°04′14″W / 42.1567°N 80.0706°W / 42.1567; -80.0706
Tower
Constructed1858  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Constructionwrought iron, steel  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Automated1995  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Height34 ft (10 m)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Shapesquare pyramid  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
MarkingsWhite, black (stripe)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Operator United States Coast Guard   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Light
Focal height13 m (43 ft)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Lensfourth order Fresnel lens (1995)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Range6 nmi (11 km; 6.9 mi)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Characteristic Fl R 2.5s (1995), F R (1995)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Erie Harbor North Pier Light, also known as the Presque Isle North Pier Light, is one of the three lighthouses near Erie, Pennsylvania in the United States. The light, situated at the far eastern end of Presque Isle State Park, helps mariners as they traverse the narrow inlet between Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay. [1]

Originally constructed as a wooden tower in 1830, that light was swept away by a schooner in 1857. [2] The current structure was forged in France and assembled on site in Erie. It was moved in 1882 and again in 1940. The United States Coast Guard, which operates the beacon, changed its fixed red beam to an automated red flashing light in 1995, at which time the 4th order Fresnel lens was sent to the Erie Maritime Museum. In 2021, the lighthouse was featured on a postage stamp as part of the Mid-Atlantic Lighthouse series done by the United States Postal Service. The image of the light on the stamp was one of the last works done by artist Howard Koslow. [3]

References

  1. "Erie Harbor North Pierhead Light". National Park Service. December 6, 2002. Archived from the original on 2007-04-06. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
  2. Bates, Samuel P (1884). History of Erie County. Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co.
  3. Lighthouses Collector's Set. USA: United States Postal Service. 2021. p. 47.

Further reading