GreatAmericanLakes
The Chain

Lighthouses · The Walleye Capital

Lake Erie Lighthouses

33 lights on the Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania shore, the earliest on record established in 1818. 25 are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Lighthouses

33

On the National Register

25

Earliest on record

1818

Deactivated

12

Chart of Lake Erie with 33 lighthouses markedDetroit River LightGrassy Island LightBarcelona LightBuffalo Harbor South Entrance LightBuffalo Main LightBuffalo North Breakwater East End LightBuffalo North Breakwater South End LightDunkirk LightSouth Buffalo North Side LightAshtabula Harbor LightCedar Point LightCleveland East Pierhead LightCleveland West Pierhead LightConneaut Harbor LightFairport Harbor LightFairport Harbor West Breakwater LightGreen Island Light (Ottawa County)Huron Harbor LightLorain East Breakwater LightLorain West Breakwater LightMarblehead LightPerry's Memorial LighthousePerry's Victory and International Peace MemorialPort Clinton LightSouth Bass Island LightToledo Harbor LightTurtle Island LightVermilion LightWest Sister Island LightErie Harbor North Pier LightErie Land LightErie Yacht Club LightPresque Isle Light
Michigan · 2New York · 7Ohio · 20Pennsylvania · 4

The long watch

Earliest established on Erie

By the founding date on record. Most stations were rebuilt at least once; the tower you see may be younger.

Est. 1818 · Erie, PA

Erie Land Light

49-foot tower · stone · dark since 1899 · National Register

Est. 1822 · OH

Marblehead Light

66-foot tower · limestone · National Register

Est. 1826 · NY

Dunkirk Light

61-foot tower · stone · National Register

Est. 1829 · NY

Barcelona Light

39-foot tower · stone · dark since 1859 · National Register

Est. 1831 · OH

Turtle Island Light

Dark since 1904

Est. 1833 · NY

Buffalo Main Light

59-foot tower · dark since 1914 · National Register

Lake Erie lighthouses in Michigan 2

Monroe County 1

Wayne County 1

Michigan Great Lakes lighthouses

Lake Erie lighthouses in New York 7

Chautauqua County 2

County not listed 2

Erie County 3

New York Great Lakes lighthouses

Lake Erie lighthouses in Ohio 20

Ashtabula County 2

Cuyahoga County 2

Erie County 3

Lake County 2

Lorain County 2

Lucas County 3

Ottawa County 6

Ohio Great Lakes lighthouses

Lake Erie lighthouses in Pennsylvania 4

County not listed 1

Erie County 3

Pennsylvania Great Lakes lighthouses

Beyond the lights

More on Lake Erie

Lake Erie field guide96 Erie boat launchesLighthouses worth the detourHow to read a light
How many lighthouses are on Lake Erie?

This directory lists 33 lighthouses on the U.S. shore of Lake Erie and its connecting waters, in Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. That counts towers, pierhead and breakwater lights and range lights that have their own public record; it leaves out unrecorded minor aids. Canadian lights are not included.

What is the oldest lighthouse on Lake Erie?

By the earliest established date on record: Erie Land Light (1818), Marblehead Light (1822), Dunkirk Light (1826). Many stations were rebuilt, so the tower standing today is often younger than the station's founding date.

What is the tallest lighthouse on Lake Erie?

Among lights with a recorded tower height: Perry's Memorial Lighthouse at about 351 feet, Huron Harbor Light at about 72 feet, South Bass Island Light at about 69 feet. Not every light has a height on record, so this is the tallest we can document, not a full survey.

Can you go inside Lake Erie lighthouses?

Some, not all. Many are run by parks, museums or volunteer societies that open the tower in season; pierhead and offshore lights are usually closed or reachable only by boat. Each lighthouse page links to its fuller history and, where one exists, the operator. Check with them before you go.

Data from Wikidata (CC0), retrieved 2026-10-09; National Register references link to NPS NPGallery. Shoreline from Natural Earth (public domain). Charts are not for navigation. Corrections to contact@greatamericanlakes.com.