![]() “These are places men and women live and raised children and died in isolated conditions away from the world for months and months on end,” he said. The Whitefish Point and Old Mackinac Point lighthouses are good examples, he mentioned.Īnd while the historical aspect of lighthouses is significant – lighthouses contributed a lot to the growth of the U.S.’s economy – McKinstry sees the humanitarian side as the more important. “A good group can get that history and education in there in a way that makes sense to the public.” And the ones that aren’t didn’t do a good job of reaching out to the public,” McKinstry said. You can visit lighthouse properties, and you can tell which are cared for and which aren’t very quick. “If you have a good group of people that have the passion for this lighthouse, that alone is hard to find, having the passion and having some skills too. Interior of the Saginaw River Rear Range Lighthouse (Photo courtesy of Patrick McKinstry) According to McKinstry, it boils down to the people. Michigan has more than a hundred lighthouses, but a few tend to gain more attention than others. Watch Great Lakes Now’s segment on Spectacle Reef Light Station’s restoration here: “I just look at it as my life’s mission to take care of these lighthouses.” “I look at it as a second full-time job, my life’s work, if you will,” he said. Not that he gets a penny for it – he has a full-time career as a railroad engineer when he’s not working on lighthouses. Now, McKinstry is the president of the Spectacle Reef Preservation Society and the chair of the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society, working on the restoration of two lighthouses. He volunteered with the group who let him mow the lawn twice a week. His first experience with lighthouse restoration was a lighthouse in Bay City that was being restored when he was 11. “I kept asking questions and why, and why, and eventually the response was because nobody loves it anymore and that stuck with me at that age, and I was hooked,” McKinstry told Great Lakes Now in an interview.įrom there, McKinstry’s interest in lighthouses and maritime history just grew. ![]() He was on a family trip at the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City, Michigan, and asking his mother what it was and if he could go in. Go right to the list of lighthouses here.įor Patrick McKinstry, his love of lighthouses began when he was 4 or 5 years old. Collection 4 – Lesson Plans from Our Monthly PBS Program.Collection 3 – Virtual Field Trips in the Great Lakes.Collection 2 – Threats to the Great Lakes.Collection 1 – An Exploration of the Great Lakes.Beneath the Surface: The Line 5 Pipeline in the Great Lakes.Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice.The Catch: News about the Lakes You Love.Ask the Great Lakes Now Team Your PFAS Question.Ask Your Question About the Great Lakes.
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