Fairport Harbor Light

Fairport Harbor Light
Location129 2nd Street
Fairport Harbor, Ohio
United States
Coordinates41°45′25.07″N 81°16′38.33″W / 41.7569639°N 81.2773139°W / 41.7569639; -81.2773139
Tower
Constructed1871 
FoundationDressed Stone, Timber/Piling
ConstructionSandstone
Height60 feet (18 m)
ShapeConical
HeritageListed on the NRHP
Light
First litAugust 11, 1871 (1871-08-11)
Deactivated1925
Lens3rd-order Fresnel
CharacteristicF W
Official nameFairport Marine Museum
DesignatedNovember 5, 1971
Part ofLight Stations of Ohio MPS
Reference no.71000642

The Fairport Harbor Light, also known as the Grand River Light, is a lighthouse located on Lake Erie in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. It is one of two lighthouses in Fairport Harbor, along with the Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Light. It consists of a 60-foot (18 m), sandstone tower with a detached, lighthouse keeper's house. The lighthouse also serves as the Fairport Harbor Marine Museum.

A lighthouse and accompanying keepers' house was first constructed in Fairport Harbor in 1825. Both were removed and replaced when a new tower and keeper's house were completed in 1871 on the same location. The light remained in service until 1925 when it was decommissioned after the West Breakwater Light went into service. It was expected that Fairport Harbor Light would then be demolished, but a letter-writing campaign by local residents preserved the structure. In 1945, ownership of the lighthouse was turned over to the village and a maritime museum was founded to conserve the site. The lighthouse and keeper's house were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.