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Escanaba lighthouse marks 150 years

From left, Joe Hellberg, Bill Rinne, Thomas Claycomb and Craig Woerpel perform “Lighthouse Fanfare” at the top of the Sand Point Lighthouse tower during a special event held in honor of the lighthouse’s 150th anniversary Monday. Rinne composed this piece for the event. (Photo by Jordan Beck, Escanaba Daily Press)

ESCANABA — The 150th anniversary of the Sand Point Lighthouse was celebrated with an event at the lighthouse Monday afternoon. About 125 people were present at this event.

The celebration was organized by the Delta County Historical Society’s lighthouse committee. Delta County Historical Society Vice President Elizabeth Keller, who is a co-chair of this committee, said her goal was to do something special to commemorate the lighthouse’s anniversary.

“150 is a pretty good age, even for a building,” she said.

During the event, Delta County Historical Society President Charles Lindquist gave a speech on the history of the Sand Point Lighthouse. He spoke about each of the people who served as lighthouse keepers there from its establishment in 1867 to its closure in 1939.

“I was thinking … ‘I want to celebrate what this building was for,'” Lindquist said.

After it was closed, the lighthouse served as a residence for the Officer-in-Charge of an Aids to Navigation Team established by the U.S. Coast Guard in Escanaba.

“They needed a presence here,” Lindquist said.

The lighthouse was heavily remodeled at this time to better fit its new role. Among other changes, its lantern room was removed and its tower was lowered 10 feet.

“It didn’t look … anything like a lighthouse,” Lindquist said.

In 1985, it was determined that the Coast Guard no longer needed to use this building as a residence. To save the lighthouse from potential destruction, the Delta County Historical Society decided to step in and restore it to its former appearance.

Lindquist said that the city and county governments, labor unions, other organizations, and individuals all helped with the process of restoring the lighthouse.

“By 1990, the job was done and we opened it up to the public,” he said.

Escanaba Mayor Marc Tall also shared some remarks during the celebration.

“We’re all very proud to have it as a part of the community (and) as a part of Ludington Park,” he said.

The event kicked off with a performance of “Lighthouse Fanfare,” a piece composed by Bill Rinne.

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