The Keeper's House Museum

The Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society is a non-profit organization formed to establish a museum for the preservation of the history of this unique village on the shores of Lake Erie and Sandusky Bay, with a special interest in its historic Marblehead Lighthouse.

 

The Marblehead Lighthouse was built in 1821 and is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes. The present Keeper’s House which replaced the original stone keeper’s dwelling, was constructed in 1880 and was the home to four principal keepers and four assistant keepers and their families.  The house became a duplex in 1903 with the keepers living downstairs and the assistants living upstairs. 

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Marblehead Light Keepers: 

1. Benajah Wolcott

2. Rachel Wolcott

3. Jeremiah Van Benschoten

4. John Roderick Williston

5. Charles Ferris Drake

6. Lodrick Colly Brown

7. Jared Bradley Keyes

8. David L. Dayton

9. Thomas Dyer 

10. Russell Douglas

11. Thomas Julius Keyes

12. George H. McGee

13. Johanna H. McGee

14. Charles A. Hunter 

    • Assistants- D. Clinton Egelton, Charles E. Perry, O. Earl Mapes, Andrew Turinsky, Edward M. Herman

15. Edward Martin Herman

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Keepers by the Numbers: 

Oldest-Dyer at age 72

Youngest- Turinsky at age 15

Longest serving- Hunter, 30 years

Shortest  serving-Turinsky, 2 months

Babies born while lightkeeper-16

Had the most children Van Benschoten-14

Had no children-Hunter and Herman

Served in the military-7

• Wolcott, Drake, T. Keyes, Egelton, Perry, Turinsky, Herman 

Born in: New York-5 Ohio-5, Connecticut-2, 1 each from Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania 

       and Kansas. Not in United States- 2,  Douglas Canada and Wolcott, Connecticut British Colony. 

Died while keeper-3    

• Wolcott, Dyer, G. McGee 

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Ever since the last keeper retired in 1943, the U.S. Coast guard has maintained the Lighthouse. Since then some guardsmen and their families lived in the Keeper’s House and kept the light.  The Keeper’s House was later used by the State of Ohio, Division of Parks and Recreation as a dormitory.  In 1968, a Lt. Irish of the Coast Guard told the newspaper that the Keeper’s House was not fit to live in and should be demolished. The Ottawa County Historic Society, with the support of 5th District Congressman Delbert Latta, began to work with local, state and federal officials to save the Lighthouse and Keeper’s House.  Approval was given for the State of Ohio to assume ownership of the property and the lighthouse grounds were declared Ohio’s 73rd State Park on June  9, 1998. In 2000, the Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society opened a museum in the Keeper’s House and in the two years that followed, extensive renovations to the house were completed by the State of Ohio.  An agreement continues to exist with the State of Ohio to use space in the Keeper’s House and Marblehead Lighthouse State Park for historic displays and as a tourist information center. 

 

Over the last 20 years, the museum has continued to grow as a result of the efforts of the Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society.  It continues to provide information about the Lighthouse and the surrounding area to the thousands of visitors who come to the State Park each summer. 

 

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. (A professional replica is displayed when 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.

 

The museum is operated by an all-volunteer staff. If you would like to join our volunteer staff or the Historical Society, please contact us.

 

The building is wheelchair accessible, and museum docents are available to assist visitors with the electronic wheelchair lift.

 

 

Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society Founding Members

Mrs. Leroy L. (Peg) Belt

Charles Scott

Gordon and Betty Wahlers

Neil T. Allen

Dave Glick

Scott C. Doty

Mary Ann Laubner

R. Neil  and Rosemary Merckens

Barbara Lane

Jackie McCune

Anna Mae Bell

Pat Snider

James and Marlene Carpenter

Rodney Zehfus