Spectacle Reef Preservation Society

Spectacle Reef Preservation Society The Society works to preserve and restore the Spectacle Reef Lighthouse in Lake Huron. Guarding the Eastern entrance of the Straits of Mackinac since 1874.

This evening's sunset on The Reef. Lake Huron seems a bit unhappy.
10/08/2026

This evening's sunset on The Reef. Lake Huron seems a bit unhappy.

Do you want to support the lighthouse and get something cool? Check out this beautiful 18*24 limited edition print of th...
10/07/2026

Do you want to support the lighthouse and get something cool? Check out this beautiful 18*24 limited edition print of the lighthouse, depicting the lighthouse and the USLHS tender Aspen, circa 1910. For a donation of $500 or becoming a lifetime member, you will receive this piece and a Spectacle Reef T-shirt of your choice. All funds raised go towards continued work in 2027. Donate or become a lifetime member here: www.spectaclereef.org. As our season winds down, let's get ready for 2027!

The boat has been pulled from the water and the lighthouse is buttoned up for the season. Thank you to our incredible vo...
09/28/2026

The boat has been pulled from the water and the lighthouse is buttoned up for the season. Thank you to our incredible volunteers and donors who have made this season possible! Now begins the winter projects as we prepare for 2027! Do you want to join the team and help with next year's work? Join the team at www.spectaclereef.org

During the last work week on The Reef, the crew began installing electrical in the fog signal building. For the first ti...
09/05/2026

During the last work week on The Reef, the crew began installing electrical in the fog signal building. For the first time since 1972 (54 years) we have lights! As the tower is nearing restoration, having the lights and power access in the fog building will help when we start restoring the building's interior. Finishing the rest of the electrical in the building, the basements (we have five!) and for the crane is planned for next year. Thank you for your donations that have made all the projects this year possible! You can continue to support the restoration at www.spectaclereef.org or by donating here.

One of the other projects worked on by the latest work crew was needle scaling the stairs. It's long and tedious work, a...
08/25/2026

One of the other projects worked on by the latest work crew was needle scaling the stairs. It's long and tedious work, and can often test a volunteer's patience. The stairs in the tower are cast iron and have been painted over for 100+ years, hiding all of their original details in the iron under more than half an inch of paint in some areas. This is one section that was worked on. Under some of the paint the crew even found rubber baseboards that someone glued to the stairs at some point, whose removal proved to be challenging. But, perseverance and a few choice words got the rubber off. These still need to be wire wheeled and primed/painted, and there's still several more flights to go. But... It's progress!

One of the projects the crew worked on this past week was preparing for window installation. They worked on repairing th...
08/23/2026

One of the projects the crew worked on this past week was preparing for window installation. They worked on repairing the cast iron window frames from 1874, and installed these two temporary windows in the tower. The first one is looking North from the third floor bedroom (installed this week), the second is from the kitchen on Deck Two, looking out over the roof of the fog signal building (installed last week). Not only do these windows help with fresh air inside the tower, but this is the first season people have been able to look outside of the tower since 1972! Your donations have helped make this possible, and more that we will show in upcoming posts this week. Thank you!

You can donate to support the restoration or volunteer at www.spectaclereef.org

The final work crew of the season is back on shore after spending a week on The Reef. They made some great progress insi...
08/20/2026

The final work crew of the season is back on shore after spending a week on The Reef. They made some great progress inside the lighthouse this season! We'll post photos of their work in upcoming posts. Thank you for your incredible work this week and this season!

There are still some day trips planned as weather permits as we go into our final weeks of the season. Become a volunteer and donate to the cause at www.spectaclereef.org.

Good morning from Keeper Kathy on The Reef!
08/15/2026

Good morning from Keeper Kathy on The Reef!

Our final work crew of the season are on station tonight and captured this photo of the moon. All we can say is... Wow!!...
08/15/2026

Our final work crew of the season are on station tonight and captured this photo of the moon. All we can say is... Wow!!! Photo by Dean Wegener

Address

PO Box 75
Cheboygan, MI
49721

Telephone

+19897080442

Website

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