Peninsula Township Receives Check for Lighthouse Shutters – Photos of Event, Renovations

Earlier this week, Peninsula Township received a check from the Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society for the purchase and installation of historically accurate shutters (an upside-down cross design) for Mission Point Lighthouse.

A small group of Old Mission Peninsula residents gathered at the lighthouse for the presentation of the check, a short talk by Historical Society member Laura Johnson, and a tour of recent upgrades to the lighthouse. Covid-19 protocols, including masks and social distancing, were in place.

The funds totaling $10,898.96, which covered part of the cost of the shutters, were transfered to the Historical Society from the now-dissolved Friends of Mission Point Lighthouse, and were earmarked specifically for the shutters. Big thanks to Friends’ members Anne Griffiths and Ellen Kerr, who got the ball rolling on this project some four years ago.

Historical Society president John Scarbrough says that the historical research, designing the shutters, getting state approval, having the shutters custom-built, and working with the contractor for installation was done jointly by Ginger Shultz, Historical Society members Laura Johnson, Chris Rieser, and John Scarbrough, as well as Peninsula Township staff Rob Manigold, Marge Achorn, Becky Chown and others.

The shutters have been missing from the lighthouse for some 90 years, and are just part of the restorations happening this year to celebrate its 150th birthday on Sept. 10, 2020. The historic light was first lit on Sept. 10, 1870.

Other recent upgrades to the lighthouse include renovations to the kitchen and keeper’s quarters, new paint, informational signs designed by Historical Society member Karen Rieser on the lighthouse grounds, and more. Check out some photos from this week’s event below.