On July 25, 2014, an historic event occurred. The Presque Isle Light Station transitioned from being a residence for park staff to a publicly accessible heritage site under the administration of the Presque Isle Light Station, a non-profit organization which holds a 35-year lease with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).
The goal of the Presque Isle Light Station is to complete several major restoration and renovation projects within the next three to five years in partnership with DCNR. The work is estimated to cost up to $2.5 million and will include restoration of the buildings and grounds to how they appeared between 1901 and 1927, a period of significance for the site known as the “Shaw Era.” Andrew and Mary Shaw were the resident keepers during this era – a time when all of the facilities were intact.
The Presque Isle Light Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1983), and a Historic Structures Report for the site was completed in 2007. The report is the primary planning document for decision-making efforts concerning the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and reconstruction of the Presque Isle Light Station. Restoration work at the light station began in the fall of 2014.
Please join us for a tour of this newly opened historic site and learn about the upcoming preservation work.