Saving the Port Clinton Lighthouse

For some sixty years a quaint little lighthouse, painted white with blue trim, has stood alongside the Portage River at Port Clinton, Ohio, a quiet reminder of the oft-forgot rich nautical history.

The Port Clinton Lighthouse, built in 1896, lies on private property at Brand's Marina, where its owner, Darrell Brand, had carefully preserved it since purchasing the marina from his predecessor, Dave Jeremy, some 30 years ago. It was Jeremy who, in 1952, was hired by the federal government to remove the structure from the end of the west breakwater pier after conversion to a plain electric light rendered the little lighthouse obsolete. With great foresight, Jeremy decided the light was worth preserving and placed in by the river.

A few years ago Brand decided he needed to take steps to ensure that the little lighthouse is permanently preserved so he began working with the mayor, Debbie Hymore-Tester, to transfer the light to the city so that it could be given a permanent home on the Lake Erie waterfront in the Waterworks Park. Soon after, the Port Clinton Lighthouse Conservancy was established to begin the process of restoration and provide an organizational structure for future fundraising that would be required to maintain the structure.

In December 2011 the Port Clinton City Council voted to accept the gift of the lighthouse as part of a "Phase II" plan to develop the Waterworks Park. However, the following month brought the election of a new mayor, Vince Leone, who had a different plan for the park and mothballed the Phase II plan. When he met with Brand in March of 2012, Leone refused to accept the lighthouse with "strings attached." Brand wanted an agreement with the city that guaranteed that if the city ever decided to sell, move, or use the lighthouse for some other purpose, it would revert to the Brand family. Brand also insisted that the lighthouse be placed on the Lake Erie waterfront.

Mayor Leone and the city administration have been working with a developer, Mike Rose of Washington Properties in Medina, Ohio, on a plan to develop the Waterworks Park. Current plans call for the construction of a fishing lodge complex that would include time-share condominium units and consume a 14.7 acre section of the existing park. After this plan was presented at a public meeting this past March, the Conservancy responded by submitting a comprehensive proposal explaining the economic and historic value of the lighthouse to the city and laying out a plan for placement that would not interfere with the proposed development. This was presented to the administration and council, and briefed to the public at the end of March.

Given the stalemate, the Conservancy then launched a grass roots campaign to educate the public on the issue, holding a series of public meetings and speaking to local civil groups. This led to a dialog opening up between the Conservancy and the City, but following a meeting with city officials in April the mayor told the group he was not willing to accept the lighthouse as long as there were strings attached.

Frustrated with the intransigence of city officials, and aware of the broad support for the lighthouse in the community, the Planning and Development Committee of the Port Clinton City Council met and voted to present a motion to the full council urging the city to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Conservancy to choose a waterfront location for the lighthouse and to develop a timeline for its placement. This motion received unanimous approval by the council at its meeting on May 28th, 2013.

The Conservancy hopes to work with the city administration to craft the MOU mandated by the council, resolve the impasse, and find a permanent home for this historic lighthouse.

In my next post I will give the history of the Port Clinton Lighthouse, and its predecessor light which was built in 1833.

Port Clinton to Acquire Old West Pier Lighthouse

The Port Clinton West Pier Head Light, as seen in an old postcard

I'm happy to announce that after spending almost fifty years tucked away in a marina along the Portage River, Port Clinton’s old pier-head light will soon become city property and once again be given a prominent place in this waterfront town’s landscape.

I was on hand Tuesday night as the PC Parks and Recreation Committee, after hearing a briefing on the proposal, recommended transfer of the old Port Clinton lighthouse from Brands' Marina to the city. It will be up to the the full City Council to approve the city but I anticipate they will do so without controversy when they meet in January.

In anticipation of the transfer, a committee of volunteers has been fleshing out plans to move the lighthouse to the Waterworks Park near the end of the proposed Adams Street extension and eventually restore the structure. The light will not operate but instead serve as a local attraction and beacon for tourism.

Standing twenty feet high, the peppermill style, pyramid-sided wood structure was erected in 1896 at the end of the west pier. Though records are sketchy, it is believed the light operated until 1927. In the mid 1950s, the lighthouse was removed from the pier and moved to Jeremy's Marina, now Brands’ Marina, on Lakeshore Drive about a half mile up The Portage River.

The lighthouse committee is hopeful that, once moved to such a highly visible location, the lighthouse will draw tourists to the downtown district and serve as a wonderful asset to the city overall.

The relocation and restoration of the lighthouse will be funded through a combination of private and corporate sponsors, and federal and state grants. Volunteers will be called upon to complete much of the work. The lighthouse committee envisions the formation of a non-profit preservation society to spearhead the effort.

Members of the committee include Committee Chair Peggy Debien, outgoing Mayor Hymore-Tester, CDR Gerald Nauert and LT Andy Frye with the U.S. Coast Guard, Darrell Brand, Bill Moon, Debbie Rossman, Doug Garrett, Kathy Jo Schweitzer, John Smothers, Bob Reynolds, Kim Boyle, Bob Butcher, Kathy Mehl, Chuck Grindstaff and Sam Halstead, and yours truly.

Once the lighthouse is transferred to the city and an assessment of the structure’s stability completed, the move itself could take place as early as next spring. Once moved, a more thorough restoration will commence.

This will be a huge and much-needed tourist for the city. The nearby Marblehead Lighthouse receives more than one million visitors annually. I will reporting regularly on this effort but please help spread the word. I would like to see a big community effort to fund this exciting and worthwhile project.