LUDINGTON, MI – A $450,000 capital campaign is fully funded to restore the keeper’s dwelling at Big Sable Point Lighthouse on the Lake Michigan shoreline at Ludington State Park near Ludington, Mich. It took just four months to raise the funds. Work is scheduled for 2027, the lighthouse’s 160th anniversary. In December, Lakeshore Keepers, the nonprofit that manages the light, launched a $450,000 campaign to restore the exterior of the keeper’s dwelling. The goal was to complete fundraising by June 2028 and begin work in 2029. Lakeshore Keepers announced last Monday that the project is fully funded and the work will be scheduled for 2027 – two years earlier than expected and aligning with the light’s
Big Sable Point LIghthouse. Agnieszka Drobniak
160th anniversary.
“We are immensely grateful for the tremendous support this campaign has received during the four months it was promoted to the public,” said Jack Greve, executive director of Lakeshore Keepers. “Due to this overwhelming generosity, we are two years ahead of schedule.”
The project plans include removing decades-old layers of exterior paint and “organic growth” that has formed between the paint and brick, restoring historic masonry, and repainting with white masonry paint. Removing layers of paint will require a chemical process to avoid further degrading the brick beneath. The work will prevent the building from holding moisture.
The 112-foot tower and original keepers’ dwelling were built in 1867, using Milwaukee “Cream City” brick. In the early 1900s, the tower was encased in metal due to the poor condition of the bricks. The keepers’ dwelling, which was expanded between 1908 and 1914, was first painted in 1942. Today, the paint is cracked and peeling, revealing a layer of green, moss-like growth underneath.
This is Lakeshore Keepers’ largest preservation effort in its 38-year history. Originally named Big Sable Point Lighthouse Keepers Association, the organization formed in 1987 to rescue this light. Operating as Lakeshore Keepers, the group now manages five lighthouses from Whitehall to Manistee.
Lakeshore Keepers is reviewing bids for repairs to the chimney and the north porch foundation wall of the keeper’s quarters. Those projects will be completed this year while the remainder of the restoration is scheduled for 2027.
Big Sable Point Lighthouse will be open for 2026 tours and tower climbs starting May 4.
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