The South Haven Lighthouse shines a bright red light for sailors to find their way into the harbor at night. The steel tower at the end of the pier was constructed in 1902 and replaced a wooden one. It was originally painted white but changed to red. I assume to make it look different than the nearby St Joseph Lighthouse which has a similar construction.
Keeper James S. Donahue was a veteran of the Civil War. After being shot in battle one of his legs was amputated. He requested a job with the lighthouse service and to convince him to find employment elsewhere they gave him the job of keeper at South Haven. They figured he would grow tired of walking out to the end of the pier to maintain the light. He did the job for over 35 years and made it to the light every night regardless of the weather and Lake Michigan storms. If you love lighthouses I hope you will take a look at my new Lighthouse book HERE
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