Huron Harbor Lighthouse

History

Huron, at the mouth of the Huron River, has had a harbour light since 1835.^[2] According to the Lighthouse Directory, the first light was replaced in 1857 by a skeletal iron tower with an enclosed upper section, and the lower section was enclosed as well in 1900.^[2] In the mid-1930s the breakwater was pushed farther into the lake with a rubblestone extension about 1,200 feet long, and a new light was needed at its end.^[2]

The tower that went up in 1936 was designed in the streamlined Art Moderne manner of the period. It is a square steel structure 72 feet tall, standing on a steel fog-signal building that rests on a stone foundation.^[3,2] Ohio Sea Grant names F.P. Dillon and W.G. Will as the builders and notes that they put up a sister tower at Conneaut the same year; the National Register record lists C.A. Park and G.B. Skinner as architects.^[3,4] The state historical marker in Huron gives 1939 for the present light rather than 1936, and adds that the first, wooden light was wrecked by a storm in May 1854.^[5] For years the light was run by remote control from a small brick building on shore. The lantern came off in 1972, when the light was automated, and a small solar-powered optic now sits exposed at the top.^[3,2]

The light is still active. The September 2026 Light List gives it an isophase red characteristic with a focal height of 80 feet and a horn that mariners can switch on by radio.^[1] The National Register of Historic Places listed it in 1991.^[4] Since 2019 the Coast Guard has allowed it to be floodlit at night.^[2]

The Army Corps of Engineers has been building a large island of dredged material next to the lighthouse, planned as a future park.^[2] Access reports differ: Ohio Sea Grant's trail page says the pier can be walked to the base of the tower, while the Lighthouse Directory reports that the extension carrying the tower is not walkable and that the city keeps a viewing platform on the foundation of the 1857 light. Check with the city before you go.^[3,2]

How to see it

View from shore Best seen from a public park, beach or pier nearby.

Best public viewpoint

The city's viewing platform at the end of the original breakwater at the foot of Main Street, a walk of about three-quarters of a mile, or Nickel Plate Park in downtown Huron.^[2]

Tower climbs

No public tower climbs have been offered, as far as our sources show.

Operator

U.S. Coast Guard

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 walk out to the Huron Harbor Lighthouse?

Not all the way. The breakwater extension that carries the tower is not walkable, but the City of Huron maintains a viewing platform at the end of the original breakwater, about three-quarters of a mile from the foot of Main Street.

Is the Huron lighthouse still active?

Yes. The September 2026 USCG Light List shows Iso R 6s at a focal height of 80 feet.

Why does it look like the Conneaut lighthouse?

Both were built in 1936 by the same builders, F.P. Dillon and W.G. Will, to a similar Art Moderne steel design.