Wawatam Lighthouse
Wawatam Lighthouse in 2010
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| Location | St. Ignace, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 45°51′57″N 84°42′55″W / 45.86583°N 84.71528°WCoordinates: 45°51′57″N 84°42′55″W / 45.86583°N 84.71528°W |
| Year first constructed | 1998 |
| Year first lit | 2006 |
| Tower shape | octagonal |
| Markings / pattern | White, with red trim |
| Height | 52 feet (16 m) |
| Focal height | 62 feet (19 m) |
| Current lens | 250 millimetres (9.8 in) Fresnel lens |
| Range | 13 miles (21 km) |
| Characteristic | White flash 5 seconds |
| USCG number | 7-12608 |
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Wawatam Lighthouse is an automated, modern lighthouse that guards the harbor of St. Ignace, Michigan in the Straits of Mackinac. It was originally erected near Monroe, Michigan as an iconic roadside attraction in 1998, and was first lit as an aid to navigation in St. Ignace in August 2006.
The current lighthouse was originally built in 1998 as an architectural folly at the Monroe Welcome Center on Interstate 75 near Monroe, Michigan in the southeastern corner of the state near the Ohio border. It was a functional lighthouse structure that was constructed far away from navigational waters as an element of the tourist heritage of the state. In 2004, the Michigan Department of Transportation decided to renovate the center and declared the structure obsolete. It was scheduled to be demolished. After concerns were raised about this decision, the state government agreed that the structure should be dismantled and moved to a location where it would be useful. Serendipitously, while attending a conference for municipal officials, St. Ignace civic leaders learned of its availability. They successfully applied to serve as the location of the small tower, and the lighthouse was disassembled into five pieces and trucked more than 330 miles (530 km) from Monroe to East Moran Bay in St. Ignace.
When it was at the Welcome Center, the hexagonal tower was painted white, with green and red trim. The original lighthouse was welded by a single man: Ed Morris, owner of the Morris Machine Shop in Bay City, Michigan, was chosen because of his skill as a welder. The original plans called for a 36 foot (11 m) tall structure, but he went to the larger height of 52 foot (16 m) to "challenge himself". The lighthouse was one of three that he built for Michigan Welcome Centers. The other two were at New Buffalo, Michigan and Clare, Michigan. Morris worked with eight men and it took about three months to complete the projects. As Morris explained to the St. Ignace News, "His lighthouses were to be designed as museum-quality attractions at welcome centers ... to make an imposing first impression on visitors." They had a 12 foot (3.7 m) diameter base. Morris opined that anything in excess of 16 m was beyond his bailiwick. He also suggested that its steel structure should make it highly resistant to storms.
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Wikipedia