Why Dunkirk Lighthouse Is One of Lake Erie's Must-See Historic Sites
Discover the stories behind the historic Lake Erie lighthouse, its military museum and the breathtaking climb to the observation deck.
Q: What is the history behind the lighthouse?
DAVID BRISKA: Lighthouses were especially important after the building of the Erie Canal and the increase in ship traffic. For 200 years, a lighthouse has been stationed on this property. We still have our original Fresnel lens. It would make an oil lamp bright enough for ships to see nearly to the horizon.
Q: How did the property evolve into a veterans museum?
DB: The gentlemen who started the museum in 1984 were veterans given the property by the Coast Guard. They turned each bedroom of the Keeper’s House into a branch of the U.S. armed forces. We have a World War I machine gun, mark 14 torpedo and an aerial bomb and space force uniform. Also, the very first shots of the War of 1812 were fired from the property.
Q: What can visitors expect when they visit?
DB: The lighthouse has 55 cast iron spiral stairs, and the observation deck is 65 feet off the water. In the house, we have lots of period pieces to give you that perspective of what it was like to live there between 1875 and 1960.
Q: What do you hope people take away from their experience?
DB: A better understanding of what people endured before modern conveniences. America is a great place to live, and we wouldn’t have the freedoms we have if we didn’t have the military people protecting us.
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