COLUMBUS, OH -- The State of Ohio has agreed to purchase nearly 10 acres of Lake Erie shoreline property that is adjacent to Marblehead Lighthouse State Park, Governor Bob Taft announced today.
The acquisition, negotiated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), will provide greater access to the parks picturesque shoreline and offer improved amenities for its nearly 250,000 annual visitors. The purchase will more than triple the size of the small but heavily visited state park from three to thirteen acres.
Marblehead Lighthouse holds a unique place as one of Ohios most beautiful and cherished landmarks, Taft said. This acquisition presents us with a very special opportunity to enhance its natural setting.
Pending approval from the Ohio Controlling Board, ODNR will purchase the property from Louis and Lucille Kukay for $2,500,000. The property has been in the Kukay family for more than 50 years. Of that amount, $2,000,000 is from a federal Great Lakes Coastal Restoration Grant recently awarded to ODNR, with the balance coming from Ohio State Parks.
The Great Lakes Coastal Restoration grants program, which is making this acquisition possible, was established through an appropriation sponsored by Senator Mike DeWine of Ohio and is targeted at coastal programs throughout the Great Lakes region.
Marblehead Lighthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a 67-foot high masonry tower located on Rocky Point at the eastern tip of Marblehead Peninsula in Ottawa County. Since 1822, its flashing beacon has marked the entrance to Sandusky Bay.
Marblehead Lighthouse remains the oldest lighthouse on the Great Lakes in continuous operation. It has been the subject of a commemorative U.S. postage stamp and is featured on Ohio's Lake Erie license plate.
Long a steward of the lighthouse and its surrounding acreage, ODNR formally accepted ownership of the structure from the U.S. Coast Guard on October 10, 1998, when it became Ohio's seventy-third state park. The Coast Guard continues to operate the tower's navigational beacon under an agreement with ODNR.
Since 1998, the lighthouse and its on-site keepers' house have undergone a series of upgrades. Both buildings received much-needed face-lifts in 1999. Last October, the park closed for a $500,000 comprehensive remodeling project that has now reached the halfway point. Contractors have refurbished the interior and exterior of the 180-year-old lighthouse tower and are currently remodeling the on-site keepers' house, which dates from 1880.
An improved access drive and expanded parking lot will greet visitors by spring. Additional upgrades will include removal of overhead electric lines, as well as other site enhancements. All facilities will reopen in time for the 2002 summer touring season, when more than 300 people are expected to visit the park daily.
Opportunities to tour the lighthouse and keepers' house have expanded significantly since ODNR acquired the property. Before 1998, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary offered tours only one day per month in the summertime. Visitors can now tour both structures free of charge every weekday afternoon in the summer. The Coast Guard Auxiliary continues to offer tours on second Saturdays during those months.