The East Charity Lighthouse is located right in the heart of the shipping channel leading to the St. Lawrence River is the East Charity Shoal, whose shallow depths range from 10 meters to as low as 1 meter, or 3 feet.


Although this about 3,000-feet-long hazard was a great peril to navigation, it remained unlighted for many years, marked only by a buoy until the Lighthouse Service eventually established the East Charity Shoal Lighthouse in 1935. The tower originally served Vermilion Light Station in Ohio from 1877 to 1929 until it developed a dangerous lean when the pier was damaged by ice in 1929. It was taken down and transported to the Buffalo New York Lighthouse Depot where it sat for many years until it founds its home in East Charity Shoal.


During the summer of 1935, the iron lighthouse was erected and outfitted with a fourth-order Fresnel lens. Illuminated by acetylene, the lighthouse was never staffed by a keeper but was immediately automated. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 2008 and has been privately owned since 2009. Easements, however, are in place to maintain the light’s function as a navigational aid..


Source: Lighthousefriends.com