Preserving the past

The 82-foot Fort Gratiot Lighthouse got a bit of a face lift Monday, part of ongoing maintenance work to ensure the 186-year-old structure doesn't fall back into disrepair.

"We're trying to be proactive and keep up with the maintenance so we don't have any damage to the masonry," said Mark Brochu, St. Clair County Parks and Recreation director.

This is the first time the lighthouse has gotten new paint since it underwent intense renovations in 2011. The $555,630 project was funded through grants and money raised by the Friends of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse.

Workers from RJ Hill Painting of Marysville used a lift to spray the outside of the tower with white paint, a fresh coating to keep moisture out of the brick work.

Brochu said the work cost less than $5,000, and is a way to ensure the structure stays sound.

Thousands of dollars have gone into restoring the Port Huron lighthouse, the oldest in Michigan, after years of neglect left it closed to visitors.

It was closed to the public in August 2008 because of safety concerns after bricks began falling from the structure.

The county acquired the deed for the light station property from the federal government in September 2010.

And after a lot of work, it reopened to the public in May 2012.

In 2012, more than 12,500 visited the site for tours and programs.

Between October 2014 and this September, about 24,000 people did — bringing the total number of visitors since its opening to nearly 85,000, said Susan Bennett, Port Huron Museum executive director. Bennett noted that number does not include those who were visiting the park but did not take tours inside the lighthouse.

The county parks department owns and maintains the property, while the Port Huron Museum operates the tours and gift shop on the property.

Brochu said it's great to see tourist traffic at the historic site that was once in disrepair.

"It's fun to see," he said. "It's part of why Port Huron and St. Clair County are here, because of the connection to the waterways."

Contact Liz Shepard at (810) 989-6273 or lshepard@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @lvshepard.

Fort Gratiot Lighthouse

• Tours can be taken at the lighthouse, 2802 Omar St., Port Huron, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Friday - Sunday
• Cost is $7 for adults and seniors, and $30 for a family of up to two adults and four children. Children four and younger are free.
• To get involved with the Friends of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, call the museum at (810) 982-0891.