When the Marblehead Lighthouse first lit its flame in 1822, it drew on whale oil. The beacon flickered through lard, kerosene and LED lights over the next two centuries, while the tower weathered razing and reorganization. Despite the advent of GPS, the light still provides a solid basis for boats and ships to navigate the nearshore waters of the peninsula. The lighthouse's rich history boasts the first female keeper on the Great Lakes, as well as a place on Ohio license plates and on a U.S. postage stamp. James Proffitt gives an in-depth profile of the most photographed site in the state.

When the Marblehead Lighthouse first lit its flame in 1822, it drew on whale oil. The beacon flickered through lard, kerosene and LED lights over the next two centuries, while the tower weathered razing and reorganization. Despite the advent of GPS, the light still provides a solid basis for boats and ships to navigate the nearshore waters of the peninsula. The lighthouse's rich history boasts the first female keeper on the Great Lakes, as well as a place on Ohio license plates and on a U.S. postage stamp. James Proffitt gives an in-depth profile of the most photographed site in the state.

Ohio Lighthouses reveals a multitude of stories about the structures along Lake Erie. It chronicles make overs, such as the transformation of the 1821 Marblehead Lighthouse from ugly duckling to beautiful swan. It also documents heartbreaking tales, like the story of the fire at the Green Island Lighthouse that started during a New Year's dinner while the lighthouse keeper's son watched from a mile away on South Bass Island; he, along with friends, unable to come to the rescue in a snowstorm. It touches on the strength of Mother Nature, such as late one fall when a blizzard struck as two lighthouse keepers were preparing to leave the Ashtabula Lighthouse for the winter. For three days, waves washed over the lighthouse in sub-zero temperatures, and water froze as it fell. The sun came out on the fourth day, but the men found themselves unable to open the door. Other interesting histories include those of the lost lighthouse, a disappearing lighthouse sinking into Lake Erie, a Romanesque lighthouse 8 miles from shore, the wood lighthouse on a slightly sinful island, the lighthouse built to last forever but slated for the wrecking ball, and more.

Most people think of Lake Erie, the shallowest and second smallest of the Great Lakes, as a sun-drenched, nearly tropical retreat. But it is so much more; mysterious, unpredictable, and known by mariners for its sudden violent weather and dangerous shoals, Lake Erie has been the stage for some of the most dramatic events ever to occur on the North American continent. From the earliest explorations of First Nations and French adventurers to the brazen rumrunners of the Prohibition era and beyond, this fascinating book takes the reader inside the remarkable personalities and harrowing events that have shaped the lake and the towns and cities that surround it. Based on thorough research, extensive travels, and firsthand accounts from the people who have lived, worked and made their names on the lake, Lake Erie Stories takes a fresh look at the history of what may be the most colourful of all the Great Lakes.

By car or by boat there is no better vacation than a trip around Lake Erie. With Lake Erie Ports and Boats in Vintage Postcards, you can take that trip without ever leaving home, or use this postcard history as companion guide while experiencing the wonders or this Great Lake. From Buffalo to Port Colborne, and visiting ports in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and the Province of Ontario, author Sally Sue Witten takes the reader on a visual journey around Lake Erie. Early 20th-century history of the region is told using over 200 vintage postcards from the author's collection. Through the pages the reader will visit grand old steamers with overnight accommodations and smaller excursion boats that took vacationers to many lake resorts. Dock scenes showcase technological changes in loading and unloading equipment that enabled freighters to grow in size and capacity. Port scenes also include lighthouses and U.S. Life Saving Stations.

Ohio's Lake Erie Shore began to blossom as a resort area in the mid 1800s, and came into full bloom around the turn of the century when the prospering steamboat navigation industry started to bring thousands of tourists to Put-in-Bay, Cedar Point, and the spiritual retreats at Lakeside on Marblehead.

For more than two centuries, lighthouses have helped sailors find their way through treacherous waters, guiding them home or taking them safely through passages on their way to adventure. These historic towers and houses form a sparkling chain of lights along our coasts, a reminder of the past echoing with adventure and mystery, a lure for travelers looking for a glimpse into a romantic past. American Lighthouses offers more than just a tour of over 450 beautiful and historic navigational beacons dotting the coasts and lakes of the United States. This fully illustrated, one-of-a-kind handbook details their history and architecture and provides full information on visiting or viewing them.

The author of Michigan's Haunted Lighthouses shares tales of disaster and misfortune on the Great Lakes. Losing one's life while tending to a Great Lakes lighthouse sadly wasn't such an unusual occurrence. Death by murder, suicide or other tragic causes--while rare--were not unheard of. Two keepers on Lake Superior's Grand Island disappeared one early summer day in 1908, their decomposed remains found weeks later. A newly hired and some say depressed keeper on Pilot Island in Wisconsin's Door County slit his own throat after a consultation with a local butcher about the location of the jugular vein. A smallpox outbreak in the late 1890s led to the tragic death of a lighthouse hired hand on South Bass Island in Lake Erie. Join author Dianna Stampfler as she uncovers the facts (and debunks some fiction) behind some of the Great Lakes' darkest lighthouse tales.

A celebration of the great American lighthouses, their keepers, their histories, and their ongoing stories For more than two centuries, lighthouses have helped sailors find their way through treacherous waters, guiding them home or taking them safely through passages on their way to adventure. These historic towers and houses form a sparkling chain of lights along our coasts, a reminder of the past echoing with adventure and mystery, a lure for travelers looking for a glimpse into a romantic past. Completely revised and updated, American Lighthouses offers more than just a tour of 450 beautiful and historic navigational beacons dotting the coasts and lakes of the United States. This fully illustrated, one-of-a-kind handbook details their history and architecture and provides full information on visiting or viewing them. Included are many endangered lights, threatened by erosion or lack of funding, as well as “ghost lights,” which are no longer standing.