The Marblehead Lighthouse Museum is located on the grounds of the Marblehead Lighthouse State Park, in the house which once served as a home for the lighthouse keeper. Having received permission from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to establish a museum in the Keeper's House, the Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society opened the museum in 2000. The museum is operated by an all volunteer staff. The building is wheelchair accessible, and museum docents are available to assist visitors with the electronic wheelchair lift. |
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The museum displays artifacts, historical photos, and other materials which represent the rich and colorful history of the Lighthouse and the Marblehead area. All items on exhibit are authentic originals or professional replicas. (In cases where size, the need to preserve from further deterioration, or past destruction prevents displaying the original.) Artifacts have been donated or loaned to the museum by the original owners, their surviving families, supporting organizations, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the State of Ohio. |
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The building which houses the museum has its own unique history. The lighthouse keeper's house rests on the site of the original keeper's house which was built of native limestone in 1821. The original house was very small, and was used primarily during the months of navigation when the lighthouse light was on. The first Keeper, Benajah Wolcott, maintained a personal family home about two miles from the Lighthouse, on the bay side of the Marblehead Peninsula. Today, known as the Wolcott House, the home is open to the public for tours.
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The present keeper's house was built in 1880, and was designed larger to accommodate both the Keeper and the Assistant Keeper, and their families. There were fifteen Keepers who cared for the Lighthouse throughout the years, beginning with 1822 and ending in 1943, when responsibility for the Lighthouse was assumed by the U.S. Coast Guard.
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In the entrance to the museum, there is a 3/8 inch to 1 foot scaled model of the future Life Saving Station Education Center building which will be constructed on the grounds near the museum. This model was crafted by Ron Kochensparger, who has also gifted the museum with models of various ships, which are well recognized as a part of Lake Erie history. |
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The 290 ft. Mackinaw was build using a scale of 1/96 or 1/8” = 1 ft. The Mackinaw is an ice breaker built in Toledo, Ohio to serve the Great Lakes and to keep the shipping lanes open through much of the winter. It was the most powerful ice breaker in the USA when built. The crew consisted of 8 officers and 67 enlisted men. This vessel and more are on display in the museum's Lake Erie Boat Room. Back to Top
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The Lighthouse Room show cases the last Fresnel lens to operate in the Marblehead Lighthouse. It is a 3 1/2 order lens which was installed after it was exhibited at the 1904 Saint Louis World Fair. It was in use at the Lighthouse until it was removed in 1969. The U.S. Coast Guard was instrumental in bringing it back home to the Marblehead Lighthouse museum where it has been on display since the Spring of 2004.
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The Marblehead Room depicts community life and industry of the area, with major focus on limestone quarrying, which was the primary industry during the 1800's. Artifacts representing fishing and the early practice of medicine in the community are also featured in this room.
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| NEW IN 2009 |
In 2009, a new museum exhibit will depict the history of the Marblehead railroad system which operated from 1887 to 1964. The Lakeside and Marblehead railroad held a large part in the developement of the Marblehead peninsula. Visitors to the museum will be able to imagine riding the rail along the Marblehead Peninsula to the Village of Marblehead, perhaps stopping off for a visit at Lakeside.
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| MUSEUM GIFT SHOP |
A gift shop is located in the main room of the museum. It provides a major source of income to support the museum, and other projects of the Historical Society. The shop sells a variety of souvenirs with a Marblehead Lighthouse theme, books on maritime and area history, and many other souvenir items. 'Passbook' stamp collectors can obtain the Marblehead Lighthouse Stamp at no charge. Another very popular souvenir is a penny pinched by the museum's penny pincher machine, which produces a stamped image of the lighthouse on the penny. The cost is 50 cents plus the penny to be stamped, and there is a choice of three different designs. The gift shop also sells penny pincher books to hold a collection of pinched pennies.
Come join us for a day at the museum where you will be invited to step back in time to an era past, and enjoy the history of our Lighthouse and the Marblehead Area.
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Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society * P. O. Box 144 * Marblehead, Oh 43440 |
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