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Point Betsie photos
courtesy of Jon
Hawley.
Web Site © Copyright
2002-2010 by The
Friends of Point
Betsie Lighthouse
and ATI Consulting
All rights reserved. |
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• About the
Point Betsie Lighthouse •
GENERAL
Point Betsie Lighthouse, Benzie
County’s most famous landmark, is located on the Lake Michigan shore just south of
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and about five miles north of Frankfort, Michigan.
Point Betsie is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the United States, and
likely the most visited attraction in Benzie County.
HOURS of OPERATION, TOURS, and SPECIAL
EVENTS
See our Hours, Tours, and Events page.
LOCATION
See our Map page
for the location and directions to Point Betsie.
DETAILS
- Point Betsie marks the southern
entrance to the Manitou Passage.
- This point of land was originally
known by the French as "Point Aux Bec Scies," meaning "sawed beak
point".
- The lighthouse was built in 1858
at a cost of $5000.
- The U.S. Lifesaving Service station
was built in 1876 and replaced by U.S. Coast Guard in 1917, closing in 1937.
- The light sits 52 feet above the
lake and has a range of about 15 miles.
- Both the original lens and its
1891 replacement were of the fourth-order Fresnel (Fre’-nel) design.
- The lighthouse and rescue stations
had many keepers throughout their history.
- The current light system features
a modern acrylic lens from New Zealand.
- National Register Status: LISTED;
Reference #84001375. (See National Register of Historical Places -
Benzie County)
PHOTO GALLERIES
Photographs of the Point Betsie lighthouse and life-saving station
spanning several decades and many different perspectives.
THE HISTORY
Key Point Betsie
Personnel
A Summary Chronology
THE PRESENT and THE FUTURE
The restoration and preservation
of Point Betsie Light Station is being undertaken in phases by Benzie County, as
owner of this historic site, and The Friends of Point Betsie Lighthouse, Inc. as
manager of its operations. Through the support of the State of Michigan, Rotary Charities
of Traverse City and thousands of individual donors, the lighthouse exterior has
been magnificently restored to its appearance at the close of World War II. Both
the exterior and interior of the fog signal building have been restored to their
1921 appearance. The exteriors of two additional significant structures, a wooden
coal storage shed and iron oil house, were restored by the Frankfort Rotary Club’s
Centennial project. With the support of grants from Michigan’s Lighthouse Assistance
Program and the Federal Government’s prestigious “Save America’s Treasures” award,
the entire lighthouse interior currently is being rehabilitated. The current work
at the site, which will also include the installation of a lift for disabled visitors
to the exhibition area, is expected to be completed in 2010.
Future projects for which major funds are being sought include the development of
professionally designed exhibits to better acquaint visitors with Point Betsie’s
history and dune-based ecology, improved parking, and the anticipated construction
of an entry building to replace the gift shop’s temporary location. Improvements
in erosion control structures that protect the lighthouse from Lake Michigan’s pounding
surf will also need to be undertaken in years to come.
As we envision the site’s future service, we expect to provide visitors with more
substantial, historically insightful interpretative exhibits and educational programs.
Hours of operation will be more extensive, especially during summer months.
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