Tawas Point Light

Tawas City, Michigan

Saginaw Bay lies between Michigan's "thumb" and "mitten." At the northwestern entrance to the bay sits Tawas Point. The original lighthouse was built here in 1848, but was replaced by the present 67 ft tower in 1875, when shifting sands moved the old light more than a mile from Lake Huron.

The original fourth order lens was replaced by a similar lens which is still in service. The light is now the centerpiece of Tawas Point State Park and can be viewed from trails that pass nearby. The Coast Guard maintains the tower and occupies the keeper's house, and visitors are allowed on the grounds and in the tower only during a special celebration each June.