To learn more about the State Historic Preservation Office and the Save Our Lights license plate program, visit www.miplace.org/historic-preservation.
Preservation activities will continue at two historic Michigan lighthouses with the help of $120,000 in Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program (MLAP) grants from the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced recently. The properties receiving grants are the Grand Haven Entrance Light in Grand Haven and the Keepers Quarters at Whitefish Point Light Station in Chippewa County.
“This year, SHPO is celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program and is proud to be able to fund the important work that has been done across the state to repair and rehabilitate these icons of the Great Lakes,” said State Historic Preservation Officer Ryan Schumaker. “SHPO is pleased to support the ongoing efforts of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and the City of Grand Haven and their partner at the Grand Haven Lighthouse Conservancy to steward these properties, as well as their continued commitment to investing in these two maritime resources.”
Funding for MLAP grants comes from the sale of specialty Save Our Lights vehicle license plates available from the Michigan Secretary of State and through direct donations to the program. To date, the Michigan SHPO has awarded more than $3 million in matching funds to help rehabilitate and preserve dozens of lighthouses for tourists and residents alike to explore and appreciate. To learn more about lighthouse preservation in Michigan, order your plate, or donate directly to the fund, visit http://www.michigan.gov/saveourlights.
With more than 120 lighthouses standing sentinel along Michigan’s 3,200 miles of shoreline, Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state in the country. Established in 2000 when many lighthouses were transferred out of federal ownership, the MLAP program is intended to help lighthouse stewards restore and repair their historic lighthouses, which in turn helps keep them open and an active part of local economies around the state as tourist and learning destinations. Applications for the next round of MLAP funding will be available in August 2026.
Many of Michigan’s lighthouses are open for tours in the warm weather season. Others are home to bed and breakfast lodging or museums. Many lighthouse beacons are still active aids to navigation, but the buildings themselves are owned and maintained by a nonprofit organization or local units of government. A few are privately owned or in remote locations, inviting admiration from afar. Travelers interested in exploring Michigan’s lighthouses can learn more by visiting www.michigan.org/lighthouses.
“This year, SHPO is celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program and is proud to be able to fund the important work that has been done across the state to repair and rehabilitate these icons of the Great Lakes,” said State Historic Preservation Officer Ryan Schumaker. “SHPO is pleased to support the ongoing efforts of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and the City of Grand Haven and their partner at the Grand Haven Lighthouse Conservancy to steward these properties, as well as their continued commitment to investing in these two maritime resources.”
Funding for MLAP grants comes from the sale of specialty Save Our Lights vehicle license plates available from the Michigan Secretary of State and through direct donations to the program. To date, the Michigan SHPO has awarded more than $3 million in matching funds to help rehabilitate and preserve dozens of lighthouses for tourists and residents alike to explore and appreciate. To learn more about lighthouse preservation in Michigan, order your plate, or donate directly to the fund, visit http://www.michigan.gov/saveourlights.
With more than 120 lighthouses standing sentinel along Michigan’s 3,200 miles of shoreline, Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state in the country. Established in 2000 when many lighthouses were transferred out of federal ownership, the MLAP program is intended to help lighthouse stewards restore and repair their historic lighthouses, which in turn helps keep them open and an active part of local economies around the state as tourist and learning destinations. Applications for the next round of MLAP funding will be available in August 2026.
Many of Michigan’s lighthouses are open for tours in the warm weather season. Others are home to bed and breakfast lodging or museums. Many lighthouse beacons are still active aids to navigation, but the buildings themselves are owned and maintained by a nonprofit organization or local units of government. A few are privately owned or in remote locations, inviting admiration from afar. Travelers interested in exploring Michigan’s lighthouses can learn more by visiting www.michigan.org/lighthouses.
