Jacobsville Lighthouse, on Lake Superior on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, was opened as a B&B April of 2005 by Mike and Cheri Ditty. There are five unique guest rooms, including one with a sitting room.The lighthouse is near the east entrance to the canal (called the Portage River) that runs through the Keweenaw Peninsula. The canal was not originally completely open, but was dredged for shipping purposes to open it up in the 1800s.
Over the years the canal was dredged and straightened to allow larger vessels to pass through, helping the area to develop as a center for the copper industry. It is still a ship canal today; ships up to 700 feet in length come through to escape gales on the lake and to deliver road salt and gravel.
Jacobsville, now a ghost town, was a quarry town in the 1800s. The establishment of the lighthouses on the Keweenaw Peninsula was due to lobbying by the copper industry. Jacbsville Lighthouse served a dual purpose, as it guided ships to the river entrance for copper and rock quarry operations. Jacobsville sandstone was re used in the construction of many structures all over the world. Most of the town is gone now, except for a few houses and an 1888 restored church and an old one-room schoolhouse.
Cheri and Mike Ditty have extensive cruising experience on Lake Superior, and they enjoy sharing stories and information about Lake Superior and its history. Their photos, taken over 25 years, are available to view and purchase.
For more information about this remote and beautiful B&B, go to the Jacobsville Lighthouse Inn website.
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