Name: Presque Isle Lighthouse
Nearest City: Erie, Pennsylvania
Location: On the northside of the peninsula in Presque Isle State Park
Body of water: Lake Erie
Style of lighthouse: Integral
Lens & Location: 300 mm optic in the lantern room
Other Lens: 4th Order Fresnel Lens location is unknown
Lighthouse Website:
Organizations: Keepers of the Erie Lights
Groups to join: Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association - GLLKA
Owned by: Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Managed by: United States Coast Guard
National Register of Historic Places: Since August 4, 1983
Do the grounds have lodging: No
Web Cams: No
On a license plate: Yes, with the words Presque Isle Partnership
On a USPS Stamp: No
Haunted: No
Other Lighthouse Information:
Presque Isle is a large sand spit projecting toward the northeast and protecting Erie Harbor. The entire spit is part of the
Presque Isle State Park. Presque Isle is French for "almost an island." There's an educational exhibit adjacent to the light station. In 1896 seventeen feet, four inches were added to the tower to increase the range of the light to give it a focal plane of fifty seven feet. There are 76 steps to the lantern room. The keeper's house is the private residence of the park manager.
The Lighthouse Hunters Experience:
When we were lighthouse hunting in 2001 we would just take a few shots with our 35mm camera so we could get to our next new light. Now we stay much longer at each lighthouse getting shots from all angles. Unfortunately you can only photograph this light from one angle due to the fence around the private property. In the summer of 2010 we took the 90 minute
Presque Isle Boat Tours cruise aboard the 65 foot Lady Kate and saw this light from the water. During the narrated cruise we traveled 14 miles on the water and also photographed Erie Land and Erie North Pierhead.
Photographed it: June 6, 2001 / September 27, 2006 / June 19, 2010
Purchase lighthouse prints from this page
Latitude: 42.16577
Longitude: -80.11525
For directions click
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All photos contained in this site, © Copyright 1997-
by The Lighthouse Hunters - Christine & Tom Cardaci.
Images and text may not be used from this website without written permission. Contact Us for more information.