Historical Information

During the 1850's, vessel traffic through the Straits of Mackinac was increasing rapidly, and while the Waugoshance Light had been constructed to mark the passage toward the Straits, there absence of a navigational aid within the Straits themselves made passage during darkness and periods of low visibility somewhat difficult.

To answer that need, the Lighthouse Board petitioned Congress for the construction of a lighthouse and fog bell at McGulpin's Point, approximately three miles west of Fort Michilimackinac. Congress responded favorably to the request on August 3, 1854 with the appropriation of $6,000 for the station's construction.

However, for reasons that we have yet been unable to determine, no action was taken on the station's construction for more than a decade. With the original appropriation unspent and expired, the Board again petitioned Congress for the construction of a station at McGulpin's Point in 1864, this time receiving $20,000 for the project on July 26, 1866.

Work began at McGulpin's Point early in 1869, and the station was built as a mirror image of the design used at Chambers Island and Eagle Bluff lights constructed in the Death's Door area that same year. This plan, which is sometimes referred-to as the "Norman Gothic" style was also later also used at Eagle Harbor in 1871, White River in 1875, Passage and Sand Islands in 1882, and much modified at Squaw Island in 1892.

The keepers dwelling and integrated tower were constructed of Cream City brick. The masons built the tower diagonally into the southwest corner of the dwelling. The first and second stories of the tower were approximately ten feet square on the outside, with buttressed corners, while the tower's upper portion consisted of a ten-foot octagon. Similar to other stations built on this plan, the tower is double-walled with a circular inner wall approximately four inches thick and eight feet in diameter. The tower was capped with a prefabricated decagonal cast-iron lantern room, and outfitted with a Third-and-a-half Order Fresnel lens.

The building sat on a full basement, which contained two general-purpose areas and an oil storage room. For transport of supplies into the tower, the cast iron spiral stairs connected the oil room to the tower, and served as the only stairs between the living areas with landings and doors on the first and second floors. The first floor contained a parlor, kitchen and two bedrooms, and the second floor featured two additional bedrooms and a large closet. Almost as an afterthought, a woodshed was built in the form of an addition to the rear of the building.

Among the Station's most notable keepers was James Davenport, who after serving at Waugoshance and Little Point Sable, was transferred to McGulpin's Point in September of 1879, a position he held for twenty-seven years, until the station was discontinued in 1906.

On December 5, 1893, the wooden propeller Waldo A. Avery caught fire while passing through the Straits. By the time the vessel was off McGulpin's Point, the fire was raging so badly that in order to save his crew, the captain steered the vessel toward McGulpin's point at full steam.

Keeper Davenport had left the station for Mackinaw City earlier in the day, and his wife having passed-away in 1891, left his nine children alone at the station. Accustomed to lighthouse life, the children were a resourceful group, and made preparations for the care of the survivors. Imagine the fear in the children's hearts as they saw the crewmembers literally fighting for their lives on the approaching vessel.

Made aware of what was going on at McGulpin's Point, Davenport rushed back to the station with a number of Mackinaw City residents who accompanied him on his return trip. With the vessel's lifeboat burned and unusable, numerous trips to the burning and beached vessel were made with the Station's small skiff, until all seventeen crewmembers had been brought to safety on the shore. The Avery's insurance for the seasons had expired the previous day, and while the vessel was declared a complete loss at the time, the hull was recovered in 1894, and the vessel rebuilt, and continued to ply the lakes until she was abandoned in 1923.

Old Mackinac Point light was constructed in the center of the Straits in 1892, and the Lighthouse Board decided that McGulpin's point station no longer served its' once critical purpose, since the new light was visible from throughout the Straits, whereas McGulpin's Point was only visible from the west.

In 1906, the decision was finally made to decommission McGulpin's Point, and the station was closed-up and abandoned. Keeper Davenport transferred to the Mission Point Light, where he continued to serve until his retirement in 1917. On retirement, he returned to Mackinaw City, where he lived-out the remainder of his life, passing away on March 18, 1932 at the age of eighty-five.

At some time thereafter, the old McGulpin's Point lantern room was removed from the tower, and the building passed into private ownership. The building is still privately owned to this day, and serves as a private residence.

Keepers of this Light

Click Here to see a complete listing of all McGulpin's Point Light keepers compiled by Phyllis L. Tag of Great Lakes Lighthouse Research.

Finding this Light

This light is now a private residence, and as such is not open to the public. Since the area in which the old station is located is surrounded by trees, views of the structure are extremely limited. Therefore it is strongly suggested that the owner's right to privacy be respected, and the property not be visited.

Reference Sources

Inventory of Historic Light Stations, National Parks Service, 1994 
Northern Lights, Charles K. Hyde, 1995
10/24/00 Email from Thomas A. Tag re. lens installed at McGulpin's Point
Drawings by Terry Pepper.
Shipwrecks of Lake Huron, Dave Parker, 1986
Northland Families, The Davenport Family, unpublished manuscript in Mackinac Library.
Keeper listings for this light appear courtesy of Great Lakes Lighthouse Research

This page last modified 02/24/2008