Historical Markers
A group of people standing on a dock by a lighthouse - historic lighthouses

Self-guided · County in Michigan

Historic Lighthouses in Charlevoix County, MI

Lighthouses and light stations on the coasts, lakes and rivers, with the history of the keepers who ran them.

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Photo: Peggy Sue Zinn on Unsplash

Charlevoix County is one of 83 counties in Michigan. Buildings like these are easy to drive past because they are still in use. The register listing is what tells you why they matter.

A group of people walking towards a light house - historic lighthouses
Photo: Yeji Jun on Unsplash
Two people walk towards a lighthouse on a rocky coast - historic lighthouses
Photo: Jim Tran on Unsplash
People walking near white and black lighthouse under blue and white cloudy sky during daytime - historic lighthouses
Photo: Nong on Unsplash

On the record near Charlevoix County, MI

The 12 nearest

13 listed sites on the record match historic lighthouses within 60 miles of Charlevoix County, MI, out of 57 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles. 13 listed sites carry Charlevoix County as their county.

  1. Grand Traverse Light Station21 miles from the center of Charlevoix County · Building · Northport · listed 1984National Register of Historic Places
  2. Skillagalee Light Station30 miles from the center of Charlevoix County · Structure · Cross Village · listed 1984National Register of Historic Places
  3. Grays Reef Light Station36 miles from the center of Charlevoix County · Structure · Bliss Township · listed 2005National Register of Historic Places
  4. Waugoshance Light Station36 miles from the center of Charlevoix County · Building · Waugoshance Island · listed 1983National Register of Historic Places
  5. White Shoal Light Station41 miles from the center of Charlevoix County · Building · Mackinaw City · listed 1984National Register of Historic Places
  6. Mackinac Point Lighthouse42 miles from the center of Charlevoix County · Building · Mackinac City · listed 1969National Register of Historic Places
  7. St. Helena Island Light Station44 miles from the center of Charlevoix County · District · St. Ignace · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places
  8. North Manitou Shoal Light Station44 miles from the center of Charlevoix County · Structure · Leland Township · listed 2005National Register of Historic Places
  9. Fourteen Foot Shoal Light Station45 miles from the center of Charlevoix County · Structure · Cheboygan · listed 2005National Register of Historic Places
  10. Round Island Lighthouse47 miles from the center of Charlevoix County · Building · Mackinac Island · listed 1974National Register of Historic Places
  11. Poe Reef Light Station48 miles from the center of Charlevoix County · Structure · Benton Township · listed 2005National Register of Historic Places
  12. Lansing Shoals Light Station50 miles from the center of Charlevoix County · Structure · Newton Township · listed 2005National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Charlevoix County, MI. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Lighthouses in Charlevoix County, step by step

  1. 1

    See every listed site of this kind in the area

  2. 2

    Sort by distance and pick the closest few

  3. 3

    Read the record for the year, the builder and the use

  4. 4

    View from the public way and note what has changed

  5. 5

    Collect the set and move on to the next county

What people in Charlevoix County, MI ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Charlevoix County, MI?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are these buildings open to the public?

Some are, many are not. Churches, courthouses and libraries usually keep regular hours. Houses, barns and mills are often private and best seen from the road. The record for each site tells you which kind it is.

What does it mean when a site is on the National Register?

It means the property was documented and accepted as historically significant. Listing honors the site, it does not open it to visitors or stop an owner from using it.

How a visit works in Charlevoix County

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Charlevoix County, MI the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Charlevoix County, MI are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

More ways in around Charlevoix County, MI

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Lighthouses near Charlevoix County

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