Historical Information

Located in Saginaw Bay, some thirty-four miles off the mouth of the Saginaw River, the 322 acre chunk of chert stone which constitutes Big Charity Island is surrounded by a number of shoals extending from both its northern and southern shores. As such, even in the 1830's the island represented a significant obstacle to the growing number of lumber vessels making their way in and out of the river.

In his 1838 report to the Fifth Auditor of the Treasury, Lieutenant James T. Homan reported that "a light-house on the northeastern part of the outermost of the Charity islands in that bay, which may be seen soon after leaving that on Point-aux-Barques, and form a connecting link with one at the mouth of Saganaw (sic) river, the bay navigators will feel themselves more secure."

Succinct as they were, Homans' recommendation remained unheeded, and it was not until after the formation of the Light-house Board in 1851 that attention turned to the improvement of aids to navigation in Saginaw Bay, and Congress finally appropriated the expenditure of $4,800 for the construction of a light station on the island in 1856. 

Construction on the island began in 1856, and continued into the following year. Colin Graham was appointed as the station's first keeper on May 26, 1857, and exhibited the light for the first time on an unrecorded date soon after his arrival.

The 39-foot tall brick tower was capped by an octagonal cast iron lantern displaying a fixed white Fourth Order Fresnel lens. The tower's location on a slight rise at the northwest point of the island placed the lens at a 45-foot focal plane  providing a 13-mile range of visibility, serving not only to warn mariners of the shoals around the island, but as a link in the chain of coast lights the Board was constructing along the western coast of the lake.

By virtue of its exposed location, the station was in a state of constant repair. By 1868 the infiltration of the elements necessitated a major re-plastering of the walls and ceiling and the complete replacement of the kitchen floor.

In 1907 the station was one of the earliest on the Great Lakes to be converted to the new acetylene illuminant system with the installation of an 800-candlepower acetylene lamp within the Fourth Order Fresnel. At this time the light's signature was also changed to exhibit a fixed white light varied by a flash every ten seconds to better distinguish the station. With continued improvements to the acetylene system over the ensuing years, the Charity Island Light was completely automated in 1916, when the station's last keeper Joseph Singleton boarded-up the building and transferred elsewhere. Thus closed, the station required only infrequent service and deliveries of acetylene gas by the crew of the Lighthouse Service tender.

In 1939, the Charity Island station was deemed obsolete with the construction of the "state-of-the-art" offshore light at Gravelly Shoal, and the the station deactivated and abandoned by the Coast Guard. Without any maintenance the station's structures began to deteriorate rapidly.

The Light station, along with the entire parcel of Federally-owned land was sold into private ownership in 1963, and over the ensuing years the island has changed hands a number of times. Various schemes for development of the island, along with rumors of various non-profit groups planning on restoring the light station have come and gone, and today the station stands as one of the most dilapidated of all the Great Lakes lights.

While the brick tower remains in marginal condition, it appears as though it might still be restorable, and many visitors climb the tower for a commanding view of both the east and west shoreline and most of Saginaw Bay. However, the two story wood framed keepers dwelling has not fared so well, and has deteriorated to a point at which much of the first floor has collapsed, and is likely beyond restoration.

Over the summer of 2002, a group of citizens gathered together in Au Gres to form the Charity Island Preservation Committee" with their charter being the stabilization and eventual restoration of the 1857 tower. As of October 2002 they were involved in a pledge drive to raise the $10,000 required to conduct a study to identify exactly what needs to be done at the tower. The Society is to be lauded for their effort, and would surely appreciate any donations to assist them in their effort.

Interestingly, the land on which the tower sits is a different legal parcel than that under the dwelling, with the dividing line cutting straight through what is left of the covered way, thus the CIPC will only have access to the tower itself. The owner of the dwelling demolished what was left of the building in the spring of 2003, leaving only the empty cellar sitting next to the tower. With the decrepit structure serving as an "attractive nuisance," the owner of the property on which the dwelling sits demolished the structure in the Spring of 2003, and has plans to reconstruct the dwelling at some time in the future, to use as a summer cottage.

Keepers of this Light

Click here to see a complete listing of all Charity Island Light keepers compiled by Phyllis L. Tag of Great Lakes Lighthouse Research.

Contact information

Arenac County Historical Society
Charity Island Preservation Committee
P.O. Box 272
Au Gres, MI 48703

Seeing this Light

Since Charity Island can only be reached by private boat, we have yet to visit the island, and thus have also been unable to photograph the ruins of the station. We wish to extend a hearty "thank you" to Reed Shick, who answered our request with the photographs of the island appearing on this page.

Finding this Light

Without a private vessel, it would appear that the most likely way to visit Charity Island would be to charter a boat in Caseville, Bay City or Au Gres. The shoreline around the island is shallow and rocky, and great care would need to be taken in approaching the island. However a deep docking area harbor of refuge can be found on the north side of the island, a vestige of the past development efforts during the 1960's. Enter the harbor only from the east break wall entrance. The west side is completely silted in. Use only the docks on the west side of the harbor, because the east side docks are privately owned.

Reference sources

Lieut. James T. Homans 1838 report on lights to the Fifth Auditor of the Treasury.
Lighthouse Board Annual Reports, 1855 through 1908.
Great Lake Light Lists, 1876 & 1920.
Thompson's Coast Pilot, 1869.
Scott's Coast Pilot, 1909.
Email from Joann Gulau of CIPC, 06/25/03
Keeper listings for this light appear courtesy of Tom & Phyllis Tag

© Terry Pepper. This page last updated 12/02/2007 .