Name and Location

Mission Point Light, also known as Old Mission Point Lighthouse or Old Mission Lighthouse, is located at 20500 Center Road (M-37) in Traverse City, Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan, USA.

Construction and History

The lighthouse was first lit in September 1870 and was one of several erected to guide vessels up Grand Traverse Bay. By 1933, the U.S. Coast Guard declared the station obsolete and replaced it with an unmanned beacon on a nearby pole. The keeper's house then fell into disrepair until local volunteers formed the Old Mission Lighthouse Committee in the 1970s, restored the structure, and reactivated the light as a private aid to navigation in 1985.

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse is a 1½-story frame keeper's dwelling with an octagonal cast-iron lantern room. The building is constructed from timber-frame walls on a concrete/block foundation, with asphalt shingles on a gabled roof. The exterior finish is white-painted clapboards with red trim and roof.

Light and Navigation

The light characteristic is flashing white, groups of 3 + 3 every 6 seconds (Fl (3+3) W 6 s). The nominal range is 6 nautical miles. The lens is a modern 250 mm acrylic optic, replacing the original fourth-order Fresnel lens removed in 1933.

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse operates as a small museum under the care of the Old Mission Lighthouse Committee. It is open seasonally for self-guided and guided tours from mid-May through early October. Admission is nominal (approximately $5 adults; under 12 free). Facilities include interpretive exhibits on Great Lakes navigation, lighthouse optics, and local maritime history, as well as a gift shop and restrooms.

Notable Views and Landscape

The surrounding landscape is gently rolling, planted chiefly in cherry and apple orchards and vineyards. The lighthouse commands panoramic lake and shoreline views of East Grand Traverse Bay.

Anecdotes and Folklore

During its 1933–1985 dark period, local children referred to the lighthouse as "the ghost house" of Old Mission. Volunteer keepers recall repairing the roof in winter storms that batter the point with fierce gusts off Grand Traverse Bay.

Technical and Operational Details

The managing authority is the Old Mission Lighthouse Committee, a volunteer, non-profit historic preservation organization. The lighthouse works in partnership with Peninsula Township Parks & Recreation and the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program.

Further Information