Erie Land Lighthouse

History

In 1810 Congress approved the first two federal lighthouses on the Great Lakes, one where Buffalo Creek meets Lake Erie and one at Presque Isle, the sheltered bay that became Erie's harbour. Both were delayed until 1818.^[2] The Erie light stood on the bluff overlooking the channel into Presque Isle Bay, on land ceded in 1811 by a Pennsylvania militia general.^[2]

The ground beneath it was the problem. By 1858 the original 20-foot square tower was sinking, and its 56-foot brick replacement had to be abandoned by 1866 for the same reason. An investigation found a layer of quicksand under the foundations.^[2] The third tower, finished in 1867, sits on a foundation dug 20 feet down and built up from courses of oak timbers, a thick bed of cement and limestone, and stone on top. It is built of sandstone lined with brick, about 49 feet tall, with a cast-iron spiral staircase of 69 steps.^[2,3] Standing on the bluff, its fixed white light shone from 128 feet above the lake through a third-order Fresnel lens.^[2]

The new Presque Isle light on the peninsula took over much of its work, and the land light went dark from about 1880 to 1885 and for good in 1899.^[2,3] Its lantern and lens were moved in 1902 to the Marblehead Lighthouse in Ohio, where the lantern is still in use and the lens is displayed in the keeper's house.^[3]

The City of Erie bought the lighthouse in 1934, and the Historic American Buildings Survey recorded it in 1936.^[2] It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.^[4] After a state-funded restoration completed in 2004, including a replica lantern, it opened for tours in 2011, and since 2021 the volunteers of Lake Erie Lights of Pennsylvania have run it alongside the Presque Isle light.^[3] Archaeologists have uncovered the foundations of the 1818 tower on the grounds.^[3]

How to see it

Tower climbs The operator has offered public tower climbs, usually seasonally.

Best public viewpoint

Lighthouse Park on the bluff at the end of Lighthouse Street, east of downtown Erie.^[5]

Tower climbs

Lake Erie Lights of Pennsylvania has opened the tower for climbs seasonally.

Operator

Lake Erie Lights of Pennsylvania

Last verified

Last verified 2026-10

Access details last verified 2026-10. Hours, tours and ownership change. Check the operator before you go. Pier and breakwater lights can be dangerous in wind and waves; obey posted closures and never enter private or Coast Guard property.

Questions people ask

Can you climb the Erie Land Lighthouse?

Yes, in season. Lake Erie Lights of Pennsylvania opens the tower for climbs on a seasonal schedule.

Is the Erie Land Lighthouse the oldest on the Great Lakes?

Its site is among the oldest: the first Erie light of 1818 was one of the first two U.S. lighthouses on the Great Lakes, with Buffalo's. The tower standing today dates from 1867.

Where is the Erie Land Lighthouse?

In Lighthouse Park, on the bluff at the end of Lighthouse Street east of downtown Erie, Pennsylvania.