St. Martin Island Light
Encyclopedia
St. Martin Island Light is a unique exoskeleton
lighthouse that marks one of four passages between Lake Michigan and the bay of Green Bay. Constructed in 1905, this light tower is the only example in the United States of a pure exoskeletal tower on the Great Lakes. Similar designs do exist in Canada, however. Painted white, the hexagonal tower is made of iron
plates which are supported by six exterior steel posts that have latticed buttress
es.
The cream city brick
lightkeeper's house was modeled after that used for the Plum Island Range Lights
.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on July 19, 1984, Reference #84001387 as St. Martin Light Station (U.S. Coast Guard/ Great Lakes TR). It is not on the state list/inventory. A steam fog signal was also installed. which was thereafter replaced by a diaphone
.
The lighthouse keeper
's dwelling has been abandoned and "is in poor condition."
The light station is closed to the public. It is managed by in partnership with the Little Traverse Bay Band of the Odawa
Indian Nation.
Exoskeleton
An exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells". Examples of exoskeleton animals include insects such as grasshoppers...
lighthouse that marks one of four passages between Lake Michigan and the bay of Green Bay. Constructed in 1905, this light tower is the only example in the United States of a pure exoskeletal tower on the Great Lakes. Similar designs do exist in Canada, however. Painted white, the hexagonal tower is made of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
plates which are supported by six exterior steel posts that have latticed buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es.
The cream city brick
Cream City brick
Cream City brick is a cream or light yellow-colored brick made from a clay found around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the Menomonee River Valley and on the western banks of Lake Michigan...
lightkeeper's house was modeled after that used for the Plum Island Range Lights
Plum Island Range Lights
The Plum Island Range Lights are a pair of range lights located on Plum Island in Door County, Wisconsin. They were part of the Plum Island United States Life-Saving Station. Plum Island was transferred to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 2007 and became part of the Green Bay...
.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on July 19, 1984, Reference #84001387 as St. Martin Light Station (U.S. Coast Guard/ Great Lakes TR). It is not on the state list/inventory. A steam fog signal was also installed. which was thereafter replaced by a diaphone
Diaphone
For Diaphone, the Noctuid moth species see Diaphone The diaphone was a noisemaking device best known for its use as a foghorn: it could produce deep, powerful tones able to carry a long distance...
.
The lighthouse keeper
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
's dwelling has been abandoned and "is in poor condition."
The light station is closed to the public. It is managed by in partnership with the Little Traverse Bay Band of the Odawa
Odawa people
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
Indian Nation.