Red roofs and green shutters brighten the white walls of South Fox Island’s original lighthouse, tucked against a dense backdrop of trees. The building has the intimate scale of a keeper’s home, yet it belongs to a larger station shaped by the demands of a remote Lake Michigan shore. A second, very different tower tells the next chapter.
Quick Facts
| Location | Southern tip of South Fox Island · Leelanau County, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Waterway | Northern Lake Michigan · north of the Manitou Islands |
| Original light first lit | November 1, 1867 |
| Original tower height | Approximately 45 feet to the top of the ventilator |
| Original design | Square brick tower attached to the keeper’s dwelling |
| Second tower | Skeletal tower relocated from Sapelo Island, Georgia, and erected here in 1934 |
| Automation | 1958 |
| Status | Both historic towers inactive |
| Stewardship | Michigan DNR property · preservation by the Fox Island Lighthouse Association |
| Access | Remote boat trip; landing and building access require advance planning |
History & Description
The original lighthouse first shone on November 1, 1867. Its square masonry tower rises from the attached keeper’s dwelling, bringing the lantern and family quarters into one compact structure. The first optic was a fourth-order Fresnel lens, with its light positioned well above the lake.
The station grew as its work expanded. A fog-signal building and oil house were added in 1895, followed by a workshop and boathouse in 1897. A two-story brick building for assistant keepers joined the complex in 1910. Together, the surviving buildings show how an island station depended on storage, transport, machinery, and living space as much as on the light itself.
In 1934, a skeletal tower brought from Sapelo Island, Georgia, took over the navigational role closer to the point. Automation followed in 1958. The station’s service ended in the late 1960s, leaving both towers as reminders of successive approaches to lighthouse engineering.
The Fox Island Lighthouse Association now works to preserve the station’s history and structures. The image here features the original lighthouse: its white-painted brickwork, black lantern, red metal roofs, and green shutters contrast with the wooded setting. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
Visitor Information
- Plan the crossing
- This is an offshore island visit, rather than a drive-up lighthouse. Contact the Fox Island Lighthouse Association about current visit opportunities, transport arrangements, and station access before setting out.
- Landing conditions
- Boat access depends on wind, waves, and a safe landing. The association’s visitor guidance describes trips without a dock and landings that require agility. Follow the captain’s judgment and check current conditions and arrangements; reaching the island does not guarantee access inside the buildings.
- On the island
- Expect uneven ground and an uphill walk to the original lighthouse. Stay within permitted areas, respect private property elsewhere on South Fox Island, and follow the preservation team’s directions around buildings and work areas.
- What to look for
- Compare the original house-and-tower design with the later skeletal light. The supporting buildings help explain the station’s working life. Leave plenty of time for the setting as well as the towers.
History and access references: FILA station history, the station and its buildings, published charter guidance, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Photo Gallery
A view of the original lighthouse and keeper’s dwelling. Select the photograph to view it larger.
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