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Visit the Oak Orchard Lighthouse, a Timeless Treasure

posted by Teresa Farrell at 2018-07-12 19:30:00

When you’re traveling near Rochester  this summer, swing over to Point Breeze and check out the Oak Orchard lighthouse. Located on a point jutting out into Lake Ontario at the mouth of Oak Orchard Creek, this site was once home to one of the most important lighthouses on Lake Ontario. Today, it is the site of a replica lighthouse built to commemorate the area’s history, and boasts the distinction of being the first new lighthouse to grace the shores of the Great Lakes in roughly a century.


To understand why this lighthouse was significant enough to rebuild, you have to take a look back in history. The original Oak Orchard lighthouse, built in 1871, helped ships navigate along the southern coast of Lake Ontario and into a sheltered area during bad weather. Its location—originally on the opposite side of the creek-- was instrumental in sheltering ships passing through the Great Lakes along the St. Lawrence Seaway, and served as a beacon between lighthouses at Fort Niagara  and Genesee.


By the early 1900s, commerce in the area began to slow, and by May of1914, the lighthouse had been decommissioned. Eventually, heavy storms swept away both piers, and two days before Christmas in 1916, an especially intense winter storm ripped through and destroyed the lighthouse itself. For the better part of the next century, it seemed the lighthouse’s legacy had been completely lost to history.

Then, in 2004, a group of passionate volunteers founded the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum, in the interest of celebrating and rebuilding this important slice of local history. After years of fundraising, they broke ground on the lighthouse replica in 2010; it was built within six months, and officially dedicated  that June.


Eight years later, the new Oak Orchard lighthouse is thriving. From April until October, a beacon light shines onto the lake from its tower, just as it did more than a hundred years ago. Today, visitors can enjoy a tour of the grounds and the replica lighthouse, and hear the history of the place firsthand from the dedicated volunteer guides who staff the site.


A full museum is still in the works, but for the moment, the tower’s three stories are home to a number of exhibits that showcase artifacts, photographs and stories from the heyday of the original Oak Orchard lighthouse. A short climb up a ship’s ladder affords access to the lantern room, along with panoramic views of Lake Ontario  and the surrounding shoreline.


Since the lighthouse is staffed entirely by volunteers, hours vary, so it’s a good idea to check before heading out. Generally, it’s open during the summertime on Friday evenings and weekend afternoons, but check their website or give them a call to make sure you get the most of this unique lighthouse experience.


PHOTO CREDITS:

Oak Orchard Lighthouse with sign photo credit Jim Duell
Historic Oak Orchard original lighthouse photo credit US Coast Guard
Oak Orchard Lighthouse dedication photo credit oakorchardlighthouse.com
Oak Orchard River Point Breeze walkway photo credit Matthew D. Wilson
 
 

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