Cedar Point, Ohio
Harbour Lights #357

Say Cedar Point and a majority of people immediately think of some of the fastest and tallest roller coasters in the world! In 1990, planners for Cedar Point Amusement Park purchased the northwest corner of the peninsula from the United States Coast Guard. Included in the sale was the historic, yet dilapidated, Cedar Point Lighthouse. The restored lighthouse eventually would become the centerpiece of a nautical New England town called Lighthouse Point.

For decades Lake Erie had been the stage for many maritime battles and had earned a reputation among mariners for its darkness, heavy fog and stormy nights. Despite the pleas from both mariners and the public, the United States Congress needed six years to appropriate $3,000 to build a lighthouse on Sandusky Bay. The first light on Cedar Point was built in 1839. It consisted of a rectangular stone dwelling with an octagonal tower extending from the peak of its roof. In 1853, a front range beacon was added.

In 1862, it was determined a new limestone dwelling 10’ higher than the original was to be constructed. Completed five years later, the new building using the tower from the 1839 beacon was exhibited.

Keeping the light at Cedar Point was no easy task! There were many lights to tend: outer-range, inner-range, beacon lights and others that included “the one great illuminator.” So dangerous was the keeper’s job at Cedar Point that Keeper Frank Ritter (1892-1929) was credited with more than 30 rescues. He even had to be saved himself. While attending to several range lights, a “northeaster” capsized his boat, tossing both him and his dog into Lake Erie. Ritter’s cry for help saved his life but not that of his beloved dog, whose body later washed ashore.

With Ritter’s retirement in 1929, the keeper’s responsibility became that of his son-in-law, Henry Waibel. During his 10-year tenure, the role of Cedar Point Light transitioned away from being a navigational aid. The exact role of the light and keeper is not known. Rear Admiral J. J. Read officially closed Cedar Point Light Station in 1904, removing the tower from the roof and overseeing the installation of new range lights on Sandusky Bay. After the light was deactivated, the Lighthouse Service and the Coast Guard continued to use the site as a radio beacon station, a buoy depot and boathouse. The old lighthouse also served as quarters for enlisted personnel.