LIGHTHOUSE VII

MARBLEHEAD, OHIO

Order No. 073

HISTORY: Built in 1821, Marblehead Lighthouse is the oldest continuously operational lighthouse on the Great Lakes. Congress initially appropriated $5,000 to construct a light tower at the entrance to Sandusky Bay. It was originally called the "Sandusky Bay Light" and was made of limestone. Its tower is 65 feet high. The light was originally comprised of 13 small whale oil lamps with 16" reflectors. In 1858, the whale oil lamps were replaced by a single kerosene lantern, magnified by a Fresnel lens. In 1923 the kerosene lantern was converted to electricity but kept the same third-order Fresnel lens. In 1880 the limestone exterior was covered with stucco and painted white and a new keepers house was built next to the lighthouse. Fifteen feet of brick was added to the top of Marblehead in 1897 to accommodate a watch room and a more advanced lighting system.

The U. S. Coast Guard took over the lighthouse in 1943 and automated it fifteen years later. In 1967 the USCG turned the building over to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources but it still maintains the tower’s automated beacon as an active aid to navigation. It was automated in 1958.

The original keepers house built in 1880 in the Victorian style is the oldest known residence still standing in Ottawa County. The house is used as a museum by the Ottawa County Historical Society. This light was the featured Lake Erie lighthouse on the Great Lakes Lighthouse series of U.S. Postage stamps issued in 1995.

STITCHING INFORMATION: Stitch count: 153 stitches wide x 189 high. Our model was stitched on a 14" x 16" piece of 18-count white AIDA fabric. To use a different type of fabric or different AIDA sized fabric, give the stitch count to your fabric store and they will help you select the correct amount of fabric to complete this design. Our threads were carefully chosen to depict the actual colors of the lighthouse to give it the most realistic appearance possible.