Vermilion Lighthouse & Edna D, Vermilion River [circa 1877]
UNVEILED July 16, 2020
SPONSORS Dick & Debby Zanglin
SITE 537 Main, Vermilion Water Works, west facing wall
ARTIST Brian Goodwin
The Edna D was an excursion launch that carried visitors from Crystal Beach Park west along the lake shore to explore the Vermilion River and downtown. Here she enters the mouth of the Vermilion River with the old lighthouse in the background. Visitors were treated to the sights of a lively commercial fishing and boat building community. Excursion and ferry boats easily moved passengers and goods in and across the Vermilion River.
The story of the Vermilion lighthouse took many twists and turns:
1837 Original wooden lighthouse constructed on the pier at the entrance of the river
1877 Cast iron lighthouse with Fresnel lens replaced original lighthouse
1929 Steel tower with beacon replaced the cast iron lighthouse, whose whereabouts were unknown for many years
1991 Vermilion native Ted Wakefield spearheaded fundraising to build a replica of the 1877 cast iron lighthouse
1992 Current lighthouse dedicated as an active aid to navigation and Vermilion landmark
2016 New Fresnel lens installed thanks to the efforts of Lighthouse Preservation Committee (To see the lighthouse, take a short walk north on Main Street to the lake)
What happened to the original 1877 lighthouse? It was restored and recommissioned as the East Charity Shoal Lighthouse at the entrance to the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Debby Zanglin, postcard co-sponsor, chose this image to remind viewers how “Vermilion has evolved from its roots as a fishing and small boat harbor to a lively resort town known as ‘the Largest Small Boat Harbor on Lake Erie.’”
LEARN MORE
Public Art Vermilion's Postcard Project
Ritter Public Library: Stories of Vermilion
TouringOhio.com