Pipe Island Light

A Quiet Guardian at the Gateway to the St. Marys River

Tucked into the busy shipping corridor of the St. Marys River, Pipe Island Light has quietly guided freighters and vessels for well over a century. While rarely seen by the public and now privately owned, this modest lighthouse played a crucial role in safely ushering ships between Lake Huron and the river’s narrow DeTour Passage. Its story is one of careful engineering, dedicated keepers, family sacrifice, and maritime history unfolding just offshore.

Location and Early Need for a Lighthouse

Pipe Island—also historically known as Round Island because of its shape—sits about four miles above the mouth of the St. Marys River at the north end of DeTour Passage. As shipping traffic increased in the late 19th century, mariners and industry leaders recognized the need for better navigation aids in this busy stretch of water.

After a petition was submitted requesting a lighthouse, Congress appropriated $10,000 for its construction on March 3, 1885. Securing a deed to the island proved challenging and was not finalized until November 2, 1885, following what records described as “much trouble and delay.”

Construction and Design of Pipe Island Light

Contracts for construction were awarded in July 1887, with separate agreements covering the station buildings and its metalwork. An octagonal lighthouse tower rose on the southern side of the island. It was built of buff brick atop a cut-limestone foundation and capped with an octagonal cast-iron lantern room.

The tower stood thirty-two-and-a-half feet tall, tapering from fourteen feet in diameter at the base to ten feet at the top. Inside, a spiral cast-iron staircase led to the lantern room. There, a fifth-order Henry-Lepaute Fresnel lens produced a fixed red light at a focal plane of thirty-seven-and-a-half feet.

Nearby, a two-story frame keeper’s dwelling was constructed about fifty feet northeast of the tower. The white-painted home featured multiple rooms, a kitchen lean-to, cellar, attic, and a red metal slate roof. With no running water, the keeper’s family relied on the river, and an outhouse served household needs. A wooden boathouse stored the station’s boat, used to travel to DeTour Village just two miles away.

According to the 1888 Annual Report of the Lighthouse Board, construction was completed on December 8, 1887. Consequently, the light was officially lit on the night of May 12, 1888.

A Vital Range Light for DeTour Passage

Pipe Island Light quickly proved its value. When aligned with Frying Pan Light near the mouth of the river, it formed a navigational range that guided vessels safely into and out of DeTour Passage. Improvements continued through the years. For example, wooden cribwork was added in 1890 to strengthen the boat landing, and a circular iron oil house was delivered in 1891.

Originally painted red with a black lantern, the tower’s color scheme was altered in 1895, with the red portion painted white to improve daytime visibility. This change better served the lighthouse as a range light with Frying Pan Island.

Dedicated Keepers and Life on the Island

Pipe Island Light was home to several notable keepers. Frank Bernard transferred from Frying Pan Lighthouse in 1891 and served faithfully until his death at the station in 1910. His passing was deeply felt. Consequently, for a time afterward, captains would blow their ship horns in tribute as they passed the lighthouse.

Bernard was succeeded by John H. Malone, a veteran keeper who had spent more than three decades at Menagerie Island Lighthouse on Lake Superior.

One of the most compelling chapters in the lighthouse’s history centers on Keeper Norman P. Hawkins. Appointed around 1919 or 1920, Hawkins had previously served at several Great Lakes lighthouses, including Crisp Point and DeTour Reef. Beyond his duties as keeper, he was an accomplished photographer and taxidermist. He maintained a studio behind his family’s home in DeTour and documented passing ships and local wildlife.

Hawkins and his wife Mary raised eight children, spending summers together on Pipe Island without electricity or running water. Their daughter, Jeanette Hawkins Pearce, later received a Coast Guard certificate recognizing the isolation and hardships endured by lighthouse families and their essential role in maritime safety.

Tragedy struck the Hawkins family in 1933 when their son Norman Jr. was accidentally shot and killed during a hunting trip. Four years later, in 1937, Norman P. Hawkins died at the station. This loss marked one of the darker moments in Pipe Island Light’s history.

Shipwrecks, Changes, and Automation

Pipe Island Light also witnessed dramatic maritime events. For instance, in dense fog on May 14, 1917, two large steamers—the ore-laden Pentecost Mitchell and the coal-filled Saxona—collided head-on near the island and sank in forty feet of water. Thankfully, all crew members survived. Both ships were eventually raised, repaired, and returned to service.

Technological changes followed. In 1920, the lighthouse’s focal plane was raised to fifty-two feet by removing the lantern room and adding a skeleton tower atop the brick structure. While the light briefly changed to fixed white, it was soon returned to its familiar fixed red.

In 1937, Pipe Island Light was converted from an acetylene system to an electric light producing two red flashes every five seconds. After this upgrade, the light was officially listed as unwatched.

Later Years and Preservation

James Brander replaced Keeper Hawkins in 1937 and served until retiring in 1948. He oversaw Pipe Island Light and several nearby navigational aids. After the Coast Guard assumed control of U.S. lighthouses in 1939, the island continued to see activity, including a 1954 recovery operation involving a missing freighter captain.

At some point, the federal government sold the thirteen-acre Pipe Island. A later private owner donated it to The Nature Conservancy as tradeland. While the conservancy ultimately sold the island to raise funds, a conservation easement was placed on the property. The easement permanently prohibits further development and helps preserve the island’s historic and natural character.

A Lighthouse That Still Matters

Though no longer staffed and rarely visited, Pipe Island Light remains a meaningful landmark along the St. Marys River. Its brick tower and layered history reflect the challenges of Great Lakes navigation and the evolving technology that reshaped lighthouse service. Additionally, it reflects the families who lived in isolation to keep mariners safe. Quietly standing watch, Pipe Island Light continues to tell a story worth remembering.

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Marisa Fancy along with her husband and four children dreamt of moving “Up North”. They had vacationed for years in northern Michigan and in 1995 they finally made the move.

The family was always out exploring, but with 4 kids there was some limitations on what they could do. Marisa discovered the amazing network of trails in Northern Michigan after Steve died and she would walk for miles. The trails provided her with peace, comfort and solitude at a difficult time in her life. Later, after meeting Guy who would become her second husband, she learned to golf and found another passion she could enjoy in beautiful Northern Michigan.

Marisa has been the family historian, writer, and poet for as long as she can remember. She has always loved to write and has now found a creative outlet for it other than family. You can read her articles in Adventures in Northern Michigan, Northern Michigan History and Golf Up North.