This week I have been working on copy for the new web site for the Presque Isle Township Museum Society (PITMS). We have arranged with a firm in Gaylord to build our new site. While they are working on the design, I am putting together material on our facilities — the Old Lighthouse, the New Lighthouse, the 1905 Keeper's House Museum, and the Range Light. I will also provide information about other things to do in Northeast Lower Michigan, aka "The Sunrise Side" of the state.
Today I have labored over the presentation on our New Light. This structure was designed by General Orlando Metcalfe Poe. He was an Army officer who made a reputation for himself in the Civil War by serving as General Sherman's engineer during the famous (or infamous) March to the Sea. After the war he designed several Great Lakes lighthouses. Seven of these are based on the elegant design first used for the New Lighthouse at Presque Isle.
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| Orlando M. Poe (Wikimedia photo) |
Poe is best known for his role in development of the St. Marys Falls Canal and the "Poe Lock" at the Soo Locks at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. This engineering marvel opened the Upper Great Lakes to steel-hulled freighters and had a major impact on the U.S. Steel industry. Fascinating man! •••
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