Port Sanilac Light

The Port Sanilac Light is an octagonal tower built with tiered brick construction, featuring white exterior walls and a red roof, standing about 60 feet (18 m) tall. The site includes the main tower, keeper's residence, a brick oil house, wooden outbuilding, and a covered well structure.

This lighthouse was built in 1886 to fill a crucial navigation gap along the Michigan coast, positioned between two other important light stations. Its construction addressed the need to guide ships safely through a stretch of water that had previously lacked adequate navigational aids.

The name derives from a local family that settled in the area generations ago. The complex of buildings reveals how lighthouse keepers and their families maintained daily life in this remote coastal location.

The site is accessible year-round to view the exterior and outbuildings, though climbing the tower requires visiting during specific times when staff can supervise. Best to contact the local museum ahead of your visit to understand what areas are currently open to the public.

The tower houses one of the few surviving Fresnel lenses manufactured in Paris in the 1800s, used to magnify and project light across vast ocean distances. This optical device represents a remarkable engineering achievement from an era before modern navigation technology.

Location: Port Sanilac

Inception: 1886

Height: 18 m

GPS coordinates: 43.42907,-82.54021

Latest update: December 14, 2025 11:00