Owners Through Time

The Portage River Lighthouse was federal property for a century, from its first light in 1856 until a General Services Administration auction on November 25, 1958. It has been privately owned ever since. Susan and Chris Harbourt bought it in 2022 and are restoring it.

 

A federal light, 1856 to 1920

The U.S. Lighthouse Board built the station and ran it for sixty-four years, through nine head keepers. The land under it was surveyed in 1879 and bought outright in the spring of 1883 for $700.

 

On August 1, 1920, a new light on the breakwater at the Keweenaw Waterway's lower entrance took over, and this light was discontinued.

 

The State of Michigan, 1932 to 1948

On August 10, 1932, the empty station was transferred to the State of Michigan. The state had plans for it that never went ahead, and on October 29, 1948, the property went back to the Coast Guard.

 

The 1958 auction

The Coast Guard turned the lighthouse over to the General Services Administration to be sold. At auction on November 25, 1958, it went to Ray and Sylvia Joynt for $18,251. That year a local newspaper was already calling it "the old Jacobsville Lighthouse."

 

A family home, 1958 to 2004

The Joynt family kept the lighthouse for forty-six years, longer than any other private owner. After the 1958 sale the keeper's house was enlarged with the white addition that holds today's main entry, kitchen and great room.

 

The Jacobsville Lighthouse Inn, 2004 to 2019

In 2004 Mike and Cheri Ditty bought the property and opened it as the Jacobsville Lighthouse Inn, a bed and breakfast that welcomed guests for fifteen years. The inn closed in 2019, and the property went on the market. The inn is not reopening.

 

Our turn, 2022 to today

We bought the lighthouse in the summer of 2022. The day we closed, the coating on the tower began to come apart. We are restoring it: the tower first, then the keeper's house. Follow along in the Keeper's Log.

 

The grounds are a private home. You are welcome to view the lighthouse from the gravel area in front of the fence.

 

Frequently asked questions

Who owns the Portage River Lighthouse? Susan and Chris Harbourt, since 2022.

 

Is the lighthouse government property? No. The federal government sold it at auction in 1958.

 

Is the Jacobsville Lighthouse Inn still open? No. It closed in 2019.

 

Is the lighthouse for sale? No.

 

Sources

Lighthousefriends.com, "Portage River (Jacobsville) Lighthouse," citing the Annual Reports of the Lighthouse Board.

Copper Country Historical Images, Michigan Tech Archives, MS051-15-05-15 (June 21, 1958).

The owners' own records, 2022 to today.

Last reviewed: November 2026