Press and Media

Writing about the Portage River Lighthouse, or planning a podcast, video or tour? This page has what you need: quick facts you can quote, the story so far, and how to reach us. If you need something that isn't here, ask.

Media contact: Keeper@PortageRiverLighthouse.com

 

The one-sentence version

The Portage River Lighthouse in Jacobsville, Michigan, was established in 1856 on Keweenaw Bay of Lake Superior; its current tower dates to 1869 to 1870. It is privately owned by Susan and Chris Harbourt, who are restoring it.

Please use the name Portage River Lighthouse first. Many people know it as the Jacobsville Lighthouse, and both are right.

 

About the owners

Susan and Chris Harbourt bought the Portage River Lighthouse in 2022, spontaneously, and have been restoring it ever since: the tower first, then the keeper's house. Susan writes the Keeper's Log, the lighthouse's restoration diary.

 

Photos and logo

We're putting together a press kit of current photos and our logo. Until it's posted here, write to us and we'll send what you need.

Historic photos on this site belong to the archives listed on our Sources page. Please request those from the archive directly.

 

In the news

WGRD, "Restoring Portage River Lighthouse"

 

Story ideas

Some of the stories we are glad to talk about:

The lost lens. The lighthouse's Fresnel lens is missing. Where did it go?

Buying a lighthouse on a whim. What it is really like to own one.

Restoring a sandstone tower on Lake Superior, season by season.

The keepers, the families who lived here from 1856 to 1920.

Jacobsville, the Finnish quarry village whose red sandstone went into buildings across the Midwest.

 

Visiting for a story

The lighthouse is our home. Interviews and filming on the grounds are by appointment only, so please write to us first. Drones need our permission too. Anyone may view the lighthouse from the gravel area in front of the fence.