Resurrecting the Petoskey Lighthouse By Noah Fowle Blown away by a storm in 1924, Petoskey’s last lighthouse was later replaced with a more utilitarian designed directional light. Yet a local effort is growing to find a place for a replica structure somewhere along the city’s Little Traverse Bay coastline. Last summer, the long-awaited repairs to Petoskey’s breakwater were finally fin-ished when the Army Corps of Engineers received additional funding from the federal government as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In order to complete the work, the Petoskey Pier Light was removed from its station at the end of the break-wall. Seeing the blank pier inspired a pair of local lighthouse enthusiasts, Gordon Bourland along with his wife, Carolyn, to begin floating the idea of bringing back a version of the 40-foot lighthouse to the breakwater that was first erected there in 1912. “We are lighthouse fanatics,” Bourland explained. “We’ve traveled all over Michigan and the United States to visit lighthouses. There seems to be something that draws people to them.” Following the successful collaboration between Emmet County and the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association to restore McGulpin Point Lighthouse along the Straits of Mackinac last year, the Bourlands contacted Dick Moehl, the president of the Mackinaw City based association, to see if a similar effort could be undertaken in Petoskey. Although Petoskey’s pagoda-style light-house was relatively short-lived, Moehl said the hexagonal structure was a popular one around Lake Michigan, with four others built along the Wisconsin coast. However, none of them remain today. Terry Pepper, the executive director of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, said the unusual design of the lighthouse, along with the lighthouse community’s enduring affection for the structures would be more than enough to draw people to the area. “There are untold thousands of people who have an affinity for lighthouses of all types,” he said. “They go around the country photographing any lighthouse they can find, even faux lighthouses, or replicas. I believe people will come to Petoskey to photograph such a unique design, it’s intrinsically enjoyable.”
GROWING SUPPORT Before the Moehl and the rest of his staff took complete control of the project, the Bourlands presented the idea to the Little Traverse Historical Society and the Emmet County Historical Society. Both groups may not have been able to pledge any financial support, but they did approve of the ultimate goal. Today, there is a general agreement throughout Petoskey that a replica structure would be a positive addition to the area. Allen Hansen, Petoskey’s director of parks and recreation, met with Moehl and Pepper earlier this month and scheduled a public discussion on the issue during the parks and recreation regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Monday, May 10. Despite the city’s inability to afford paying for the project, Hansen said his department could handle the responsibility of maintaining the structure if it is placed in one of the city’s parks. He added that his department is enthusiastic about the project and that the lighthouse was mentioned in the department’s most recent master plan, completed in 2008. “We want to see how the community feels about this,” he said. “This is something out of our past and it would help people understand our maritime heritage.” Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce President Carlin Smith was also at the preliminary meeting and said he thought the project would be a victory for residents, tourists and businesses alike. “One thing a community needs is focal points, things that are great symbols of the town,” Smith said. “The clock tower is a nice one, and a lighthouse replica would be another.” Moehl said he understands the city’s position and hopes to find a suitable location for the structure. “We’re looking for approval and support,” he said. “We’re not looking for any funding, but we’ll take any we can get.”
FINANCIAL OBSTACLES Supporters of the project were dismayed to learn in December that the United States Coast Guard would not consent to placing any sort of replica over the existing pier light, which functions as an official aid to navigation. The original intent may have been to see a lighthouse replica installed in the same place as the original, but the Coast Guard’s decision carried at least one silver lining - the estimated cost of the project dropped significantly once the need to fasten it to the breakwater was eliminated. Pepper said the latest figure supplied by Moran Iron Works, which completed significant restoration work on the McGulpin Point Lighthouse, hovered around $200,000. Still, Pepper said that figure could not be considered exact because it is based on the current price of steel and pointed out it would be responsible to raise as much as $300,000 to ensure the project is completed. “If the city will agree to this and select a location, perhaps all they would need to do is create a base and install electricity to put some sort of light there,” he said. “We would raise funds to purchase materials and have it brought to Petoskey. The only question is how much responsibility down the road the city would want to take on upkeep. Our goal is to set up an account that the cost of maintenance could be withdrawn from. It would be a win-win, the city gets something and lighthouse lovers get something.” Although the economic climate may not be the brightest for an undertaking of this kind, the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association has a track record of success with similar projects including work at the McGulpin Point Lighthouse, the St. Helena Island Lighthouse and the Cheboygan River Front Range Light. “Given the current state of things, I would have said this would be pretty tough,” Smith said. “But I looked into the eyes of Dick Moehl and he seems to have the wherewithal and the motivation to do it. Plus, the people that really value the history of the area will get behind this. It’s worth pursuing.”
RESTORING AN ERA While the McGulpin Point Lighthouse, which sits on a tract of land that is the oldest deeded piece of property in Emmet County, has a more storied history than its Petoskey counterpart, Jim Tamlyn, chairman of the Emmet County Board of Commissioners, agreed the replica effort is a worthy one. “It would be a wonderful addition to bring that era back,” he said. Tamlyn said attention swelled with the McGulpin Point Lighthouse and the restoration project still garners donations of 1890s style furniture to help outfit the lighthouse as historically accurate as possible. Although Emmet County pays for the maintenance of the McGulpin Point Lighthouse and it is staffed by paid guides, Tamlyn pointed out that in its first summer the landmark was already drawing people to the area, who donated about $9,000 to help with its upkeep. “By the fall we were getting people who were coming to the lighthouse as a destination from other states,” he said. “That is economically significant when they start spending a day or two in the area. Adding a lighthouse in Petoskey would be just one more reason to visit the area.”
Bourland added that in order to make the effort a complete success, an educational component must accompany any structural replica. “It would need a plaque explaining it and literature that says this was something that was there and tells the whole story,” he said. “If you have a replica and it’s in place where you can see the existing light and the bay, it would make a great tourist destination. There would be people who make a little bypass in their travels just to see it.”
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