Pennsylvania Lights - Presque Isle North Pierhead

Presque Isle North Pierhead lighthouse. 10/5/25 dwm

From the Presque Isle Lighthouse on the outer shore of Presque Isle it's only a few more miles to where the land ends at the entrance to Presque Isle Bay. That's where you will find the North Pierhead light.

It was built as a wood tower in 1830, but a collision with a schooner left it as a pile of splinters.

It's replacement is still on duty, getting moved a couple times so captains could see it easily while navigating into the harbor.

We found a place to park near the breakwater that creates the channel into the bay. Repairs were underway on the that, so I walked around a large pile of sand to a position on the beach where I could see the light and the shoreline behind it.

Dozen, if not hundreds of sea gulls at the light. 10/5/25 dwm

The replacement lighthouse was forged in France and shipped to Erie, Pennsylvania in 1857 where it was assembled.

It was moved to the end of the pier in 1882, then moved again in 1891 when the pier was extended another 450-feet.

The lighthouse was moved one more time to where it stands now in 1940 when it was fitted with heavy steel plates and housed the air signal, which replaced a fog warning bell from 1933.

Seventeen lighthouse keepers worked at the pierhead light between 1835 and 1946.

The lighthouse shows a fixed red light to guide boats and ships into Presque Isle Bay. While taking pictures, I did get one with a large ocean-going freighter tied to a pier, but the day we visited, we saw more pleasure boats than commercial craft.