By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea

We were up and out the door even earlier than yesterday (whose bright idea was that anyway?) since today we were headed as far east as South Amherst. Mark had seen an ad for Jamie’s Flea Market, which boasted 200 indoor booths and 400 spaces for outdoor vendors. We would surely find a treasure or two there, right? Unfortunately, in this case one man’s junk proved to be a whole lotta junk. Throw in 90-degree heat—in the shade—and our visit was pretty much a bust, aside from the carpenter’s level Mark picked up for a dollar and an amethyst vase I snagged for a quarter. Time to get the heck outta Amherst and head to the lakeshore.

The banks of the Vermilion River were first settled by the Ottawa Indians, who found that the soil made a bright and durable red paint. In 1808, pioneers moved in and established homesteads. The thriving harbor town of Vermilion was born.

Vermilion has a past as colorful as the clay for which the river was named. The city was a popular drop-off point for illegal liquor from Canada during the days of Prohibition. Once known as the “city of sea captains,” no other place in Ohio has so many beautifully maintained homes in its historic district. We stopped to lunch at Granny Joe’s Ice Creamatorium, located in one of the oldest buildings in Harbour Town, which was built in 1850 as the first funeral parlor. Would it be uncouth, then, to say that the lake perch I had was to die for?

The city has been home not only to many captains and sailors, but also to a lighthouse with a fascinating story. Congress earmarked funds for the construction of an iron lighthouse to replace the original wooden structure which wasn’t sturdy enough for long-term use. It was cast by a company in Buffalo, New York from the unpurchased Columbian smoothbore canons which became obsolete after the Battle of Fort Sumter. In 1877 the pieces traveled by barge and lighthouse tender through a series of canal locks before eventually arriving in Vermilion and being erected on the west pier.

In the summer of 1929, teenager Theodore Wakefield noticed the lighthouse was leaning toward the river, likely due to damage suffered by the pier in an ice storm earlier that year. The U.S. Corps of Engineers confirmed the lighthouse was unstable and within a week it was dismantled. Wakefield’s father offered to purchase it and move it to his property, Harbor View, but his request was denied. The pieces were instead loaded up and hauled away.

As an adult, Ted Wakefield encouraged downtown Vermilion to maintain its 19th century appearance. Harbor View was donated to Bowling Green State University and later sold to the Great Lakes Historical Society, which became home to the Inland Seas Maritime Museum. Ted decided a replica of the 1877 lighthouse would be the perfect complement to it.

By 1991 he and fellow fund-raisers had collected $55,000 to construct the reproduction. Rumor has it that a bit of 1877 became part of the structure when a gold piece was placed under the new foundation. The new Vermilion lighthouse was dedicated in June 1992 and still operates today.  

And the original lighthouse? Shortly after their new light was built, the residents of Vermilion learned the structure had not been destroyed after its removal, but in fact had been shining for the past 59 years. Once it had been dismantled in 1929, it was transported to Buffalo, New York and renovated. Six years later, it was given a new home on Lake Ontario. Renamed the East Charity Shoal Lighthouse, it sits off Cape Vincent at the entrance to the Saint Lawrence Seaway and remains an active aid to navigation.

I just love lakeshore towns and Vermilion did not disappoint.  What interesting Lake Erie maritime history it proved to provide!

We then followed the Lake Erie coastline to Huron. Huron’s lighthouses have served as beacons for Great Lakes shipping since the early 19th century. The first of three Huron lighthouses was built in 1835. Constructed of wood, it was ill-equipped to deal with strong Lake Erie winds and destroyed by a fierce storm in May 1854. A second lighthouse, fully enclosed and made of iron, was erected in 1857. The current white pyramidal Huron Harbor Lighthouse was constructed in 1939 when the pier was extended to a location three-quarters of a mile offshore. It was one of the first Lake Erie lighthouses to provide an electrically powered beacon to aid maritime navigation; its light can be seen over a 12-mile radius.

You know me and how I’m all about lighthouses. We walked that three-quarters of a mile out on the concrete pier, down a dirt trail and along the sea wall that leads to the tower. Though the structure was a bit underwhelming and the heat still oppressive, I’m glad we made the journey. It was cool (figuratively, not literally; did I happen to mention how hot it was?) to see it and local inhabitants up close and personal.

We also stopped at the Old Woman Creek State Nature Preserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, but arrived as its Visitor Center was about to close. I had never heard the term “estuary” before, but had just enough time to learn it is a body of water formed where freshwater from rivers and streams (in this case Old Woman Creek) flow into the ocean and mix with the seawater; an estuary and the lands surrounding it is a place of transition from land to sea. Although not on an ocean, this 572-acre site on Lake Erie is home to environmental education and provides data in the Great Lakes’ freshwater system.

It also has two miles of trails to view wildflowers and other wildlife. But did I happen to mention how hot it was? We decided a return trip to explore in less humid weather sounded like a better plan.

Mark wanted to make one final stop at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, a neighbor to the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area we had explored during my last visit to the Toledo area. The 9,000 acres of this site, however, are comprised mainly of marshes and wetlands which offer no protection from the sun. Did I happen to mention how hot it was? I’m pretty wimpy when it comes to tolerating heat and can get a bit cantankerous (not to mention dehydrated) if out in the sun too long. Hiking this 7-mile trail system was also put on the back burner for another time. All those in favor of returning to air conditioned comfort …

*raising hand*

Fun on the run in the sun? I’m done!