WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of the Interior Ken Salazar is transferring historic lighthouses on Lake Michigan and Long Island Sound to a local government and a local historical organization under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act (NHLPA).
“With these transfers, we are ensuring that these great icons are preserved and open to the public for generations to come as places for visitors to learn about our maritime heritage,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said.
In Michigan
The city of Frankfort, Mich., will take ownership of the Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse on Lake Michigan.
Constructed in 1932, the 67-foot tall, square, steel beacon marks the entrance to the city’s harbor, a historic shipping point for lumber and other raw materials on Lake Michigan.
The lighthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
On Long Island Sound
The Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society, a non-profit organization that has been associated with preserving the Huntington Harbor Light Station (formerly Lloyd Harbor Light Station) for more than 20 years, will take ownership of the historic lighthouse on Long Island Sound in New York.
While a lighthouse has marked the entrance to this harbor off of the sound since 1857, the present structure was constructed in 1912.
The Huntington Harbor Light Station was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
About the free exchange
The National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act was enacted in 2000 as a means to transfer historic light stations no longer in use by the Coast Guard out of federal hands while guaranteeing their preservation and public use.
The program is a partnership between the Coast Guard, the General Services Administration, and the National Park Service.
Since 2000, more than 60 historic light stations have been transferred at no cost to qualified entities.
Applications for the lighthouses were reviewed by the National Park Service to ensure that the organizations have feasible and appropriate preservation and public use plans.
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