Cedar Point Lighthouse
The first Cedar Point lighthouse was built in 1839 to aid sailing vessels to better identify the entrance to Sandusky Bay. Across the bay, the Marblehead Lighthouse had already been in operation for some 17 years. Together, these two lights provided a clear definition of the bay's entrance.
Unless you actually live along the lake shore, most people are not aware of the dramatic weather changes that can take place in a relatively short period of time. In the 1800s long before radio and weather broadcasts, sailors trusted their own ability to forecast weather changes, but this was not always accurate, especially on Lake Erie where storms from the northwest could sweep across the lake with surprisingly dramatic changes. The manned lighthouses gave sailors an anchor that could positively identify their location and where they could or could not go safely.
Ships that ran into problem on the lake during storms might be at the mercy of a lighthouse keeper spotting their distress flares and launching a life boat to help rescue. Although the Cedar Point Light did not have such a rescue capability, Marblehead across the bay did. Sometimes the Cedar Point keeper might spot a tragedy in the making and would row across the bay to alert the Marblehead life savers.
The current Cedar Point Lighthouse is a reconstruction of the original 1862 light by Cedar Point Amusement Park. It stopped functioning as a lighthouse in 1904 and the lens and tower were removed from the structure. In 2001 the lighthouse opened for visitors and under direct management by Cedar Point Amusement Park.
