The Old Lighthouse

The Old Lighthouse Museum was originally built in 1858 and served as the Michigan City Lighthouse until 1904. This was when the lighthouse that is currently being used was opened. Due to this building not needing to be used as a lighthouse anymore, there were some renovations done to remove the lighthouse fixtures and the entire building was enlarged to make more room for keepers of the new lighthouse to live in the building. These keepers were in charge of three lights and a fog signal. The building continued to be used as the housing for the keepers of the new lighthouse until 1940. In 1939, the coast guard took over the care of the lighthouse service. The building then sat unused and abandoned for years. Then, in 1960, the building was declared surplus by the U.S. Government. It was then that it was purchased by the City of Michigan City for historical use.

In 1965, the Michigan City Historical Society signed an agreement with the city to restore the Old Lighthouse and turn it into a museum. By this point, the building was in a state of deep disrepair as a result of years of neglect and vandalism during its abandonment. One of the hardest parts of doing the restoration was acquiring the needed financial backing to rehabilitate the building. There was a high priority on preservation and restoration and quality was highly prioritized. Overall, the repairs were made possible because of the community and its local craftsmen, along with much-needed donations from local companies. The restored lighthouse was opened to the public in June of 1973, and many of the original features of the lighthouse back to the building, such as the tower and lantern room. They also rebuilt and replaced the porches to make them structurally sound. Since the original restoration in 1973, more improvements and changes made to the building to keep it up to date.

The Old Lighthouse Museum has been open and running since 1973, and the staff works vigilantly to maintain and preserve the history of Michigan City and its treasured Old Lighthouse. Its 50th anniversary of service to the Michigan City community was celebrated in 2023. The top photo to the right is the original Old Lighthouse, pre-1904. The photo below it is a more modern picture of the Old Lighthouse from around the year 2000.