GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — When you walk along the lakeshore in Grand Haven, you can't miss those ruby red lighthouses radiating off in the distance, complimented by a lighted catwalk.
That grand beacon for boaters and beachgoers does so much more than just direct you to the docks — it's a destination for people from all over the country.
"I had to come back here," said Jean Barton, visiting Grand Haven from Florida. “I think it’s the views, the sunset. The last time we were here, that red lighthouse was just so striking against the blue sky and the water.”
13 volunteers help manage the lighthouses for the city of Grand Haven. That includes Dave Karpin, the President of the Grand Haven Lighthouse Conservancy, and Bill Pushaw, who's in charge of maintenance and inspection for the lighthouses.
Pushaw said that position is especially meaningful because he grew up in Grand Haven.
“I played on the pier early on," he said. "I surfed next to the pier with my friends. Now I'm working on it. It's come full circle. It's just wonderful.”
The layout you see today has been virtually the same for more than 100 years. However, the history of the lighthouses goes back much further.
The first lighthouse was built at the mouth of the Grand River in 1838. It was a five-room cottage made of stone and mortar. That was destroyed by Lake Michigan in 1852.
Three years later, a second lighthouse was created on a sand dune 150 feet above the beach.
The pier was eventually extended to its current length. In 1904, a new 52-foot lighthouse was built at the end of the pier. In 1907, that lighthouse was moved back 600 feet to its current position, becoming the inner lighthouse.
As far as the lights go, a Fresnel lens sat inside that inner lighthouse from 1904-1979. It used concentric circles of glass to focus light. A rotating panel inside could produce a flash visible from 25 miles out.
Today, the technology is much different.
Karpin said, “The solar energy is stored in a battery. They collect the energy during the day, and the sun makes energy through the solar panels. It's stored in the battery, and the battery powers the lantern at night.”
In its full lifespan, the lighthouses and pier have created memories for millions. But unless you're on a private tour, you haven't been able to step foot inside the lighthouses.
Pretty soon, though, that'll change.
Karpin said, "Our intention is to change this into an interpretive center and gift shop so we can make enough money selling trinkets to the tourists to maintain the lighthouse.”
Karpin hopes to have that ready by next spring or summer. When those first few groups step foot inside, he said that moment will be just as special as the lighthouses themselves.
“It's like getting to the end of the rainbow," he said. "It's been a journey just for the city of Grand Haven. They took it over more than ten years ago (in 2009) and they're still trying to get to the point where they can be safe for the public and open it up. We're almost there.”
If you don't want to wait until that gift shop is finished, there is an open house being held Thursday, Sept. 1 from 5-7 p.m. where anyone can show up and walk inside!