Point Clark Lighthouse, Navigation lighthouse on Lake Huron shore, Canada
Point Clark Lighthouse is a 34 m (110 ft) tower of cut limestone and granite with walls 5 ft thick at the base and 2 ft near the top, built from stone brought by barge from Inverhuron. Its 12-sided cast iron lantern sits 87 ft above the base, reached by 114 steps. The keeper's house is a stone cottage resembling a British stone cottage.
This lighthouse was built between 1855 and 1859 to guide sailing ships safely through Lake Huron waters. The structure was later designated a protected heritage site and remains an important part of Canada's maritime history.
Before the tower existed, a lantern hung from a pine branch near the beach, giving the settlement the name Pine Point. The keeper's job was often filled through affiliation with the governing political party, and after the two world wars preference went to veterans. Keepers whitewashed the tower and, twice a day, wound the clockwork mechanism whose weights and pulleys rotated the lens.
The site is accessible year-round, with the museum exhibits offering extended hours during the summer months. There is parking available on-site and the surroundings are good for walking along the lake shore.
The tower's 12-sided cast-iron lantern was first lit on 1 April 1859 and sits 87 feet (27 m) above the base; the light itself is 93 feet (28 m) above the lake, flashing white once every ten seconds. Its second-order Fresnel lens was made in Paris and installed by French workmen.
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