Peninsula Point Light

The Peninsula Point Light, also known as Point Peninsula Light, is a lighthouse located at the southern tip of the Stonington Peninsula in Bay de Noc township, Delta County, Michigan. Established to aid navigation around dangerous shoals and reefs near Escanaba and Gladstone, the lighthouse was first appropriated for construction in 1864 but built after the Civil War in 1865. It served as an active navigational aid until 1934. The lighthouse's first keeper was Charles Beggs, who died in 1887. Subsequent keepers included Henry Corgan, Peter Knutsen, and Captain James D. Armstrong, who lived there with his family until 1922. In 1922, the light was automated with an acetylene system, rendering the site unoccupied except for maintenance by Armstrong until 1931. Decommissioned in 1936, the lighthouse was transferred to the USDA Forest Service in 1937 and repaired. It became a picnic area managed by the Forest Service, with the Stonington Grange handling maintenance until 1949 when they received an award for their efforts. The original keepers' house burned down in 1959, but the tower was restored. The lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historical Places and maintained as a tourist attraction by the Forest Service, offering public access to its tower with panoramic views. Additionally, the site is significant for bird and butterfly migrations, particularly monarch butterflies, and is recognized as an Important Bird Area. The area's rocky shoreline also features fossils from 400-500 million years ago. Visitors can reach the lighthouse via County Road 513, a narrow ...