Erie Land Lighthouse
Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The first lighthouse to shine on the Great Lakes. Created to aid navigation and promote shipping, the original 20-ft. beacon (1818) and the subsequent brick tower (1858) were built upon unstable soil. The sandstone tower (1867) was the 3rd built here.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In 1818 a beacon rose over Presque Isle Bay at Erie—the first lighthouse to shine on the Great Lakes—guiding the ships that were beginning to knit the young nation's inland coast into a commercial highway. The unstable ground beneath it forced repeated rebuilding: a brick tower in 1858, and the sandstone tower of 1867 that was the third erected here. Its light marked the growth of Great Lakes shipping.
Why it matters
The Erie Land Lighthouse announced the arrival of the Great Lakes as a maritime frontier, lighting the way for the trade that would help power America's westward and industrial growth.
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Nearby & related markers
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