Since 1924, the first sight for visitors arriving on the trans-Lake Michigan ferry has been the lighthouse on Ludington Pier. Located in Pere Marquette Harbour, the lighthouse originally bore the French explorer’s name. However, the town was named Ludington to honor a wealthy lumber baron and the name of the lighthouse changed accordingly.

Congress appropriated $6,000 in 1870 to build a beacon on the south side of the harbor channel, and it was first lit the following year. Located in the heart of Michigan’s vital lumber industry that thrived in the early 1900s as the nation grew, the Ludington harbor also grew in importance. At the turn of the century, Ludington was home to the largest privately owned fleet of ships in the world. The ships were used as ferries to carry railcars and passengers back and forth across the lake. A Million Dollar Harbor improvement program was initiated in 1914 to facilitate shipping of lumber on Lake Michigan, and the old beacon was moved to the north breakwater on a newly constructed crib.

The gleaming white, three-story pyramidal tower with its black lantern room was built in 1924, and it is this same familiar structure that greets mariners today. The 57-foot steel-sided structure was outfitted with a Fourth Order Fresnel Lens. A unique feature of the base on which the sentinel sits is that the lakeside of the base is shaped like the prow of a ship.

The light was automated in 1972 and the Fresnel Lens removed. It is on loan to the Mason County Historical Society and on display at the nearby White Pine Village Maritime Museum. Because the lighthouse is still a US Coast Guard operated navigational aid, it is not open to the public.

However, the historic sentinel that sits at the end of Ludington Pier is still enjoyed by lighthouse lovers who walk to the Pierhead to view it and take photographs. Whether you arrive by ferry or by car, the warm atmosphere of this colorful Midwestern community is reflected in the light of its beacon.