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Scott Holman of Freeland, Michigan now owns a piece of maritime history with his high bid for the remote Granite Island Lighthouse on Lake Superior.

Holman, a longtime explorer of Great Lakes Shipwrecks turned in the highest of the 85 bids submitted at $86,000. The other sealed bids ranged from a high of $80,000 to a low of $11.

Since lighthouses and more so, lighthouses with an island, are seldom sold to the public, the interest in this sale drew interest nationwide. The Government Services Administration issued press releases announcing the sale which unfortunately appeared only on a limited basis in newspapers across the country. What disappointed us the most was that Lighthouse Digest, where the most interest could have been generated from, was not even notified. By locking out the lighthouse community, the government excluded many thousands of people who have a great interest in lighthouses.

The lighthouse was closed and virtually abandoned in 1939 and needs lots of work, which will be difficult to do on this remote station two miles off shore of Marquette, Michigan. Holman says his long range plans are to restore the lighthouse and eventually open it to the public.

This story appeared in the December 1999 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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