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All the United States Michigan Au Gres Charity Island Lighthouse

Charity Island Lighthouse

The very isolated Charity Island Lighthouse has been watching over Saginaw Bay since 1857.

Au Gres, Michigan

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Mike Hardy
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Charity Island Lighthouse   Thumbwind / Atlas Obscura User
Charity Island Lighthouse   Thumbwind / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In 1837, Lieutenant G.J. Pendergrast surveyed Charity Island. With a massive increase in shipping in the area, he saw the need for a lighthouse to be constructed on the island.

In 1856, Congress appropriated $5,000 for construction of the lighthouse. The project began in 1856, by the following year construction was complete. Charles McDonald would serve as the lighthouse's longest attendant, working on the island for more than 30 years. 

Charity Island is about 10 miles from the southern shore of Saginaw Bay. Except for the seasonal residents who live and host tours at the keeper's house, the island is uninhabited. This island and Little Charity Island are considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services as the more remote and least visited islands in the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

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Thumbwind

Published

January 25, 2020

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  • https://thumbwind.com/2019/05/17/charity-island-history/
  • https://thumbwind.com/2019/05/17/charity-island-history/
Charity Island Lighthouse
Au Gres, Michigan, 48703
United States
44.037469, -83.441066

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