The Port Clinton Lighthouse
Our destination last week was the Marblehead Lighthouse, which we and our daughter-in-law Cindy admired very much. Last Christmas she and Mark gave us a ceramic birdfeeder that is now hanging outside our window and gives us much pleasure. While we were in Port Clinton, we discovered another lighthouse which is not so well known.
The Garden Restaurant is situated on the site of this lighthouse. Maritime trade flourished in the Port Clinton area after the Battle of Lake Erie was won in the War of 1812. In October 17, 1832, the United States Lighthouse Service purchased lot number one from Ezekiel and Charlotte Haines of Cincinnati. Granite markers marked the corners of the property, and two of these markers are part of the landscaping of the Garden Restaurant.
This round split-stone tower was 22 feet in diameter at its base and tapered to ten and a half feet at the lantern deck, 40 feet above the ground. The lighthouse was three and a half feet thick at the base and 2 feet thick at the top. It was set onto a solid stone foundation and had three windows and a heavy wooden door.
At the top of the column was a 12 foot diameter, stone lantern deck platform four inches thick, topped with an eight-sided copper covered iron dome. A double iron railing surrounded the lantern light.
The dome was built in a bird-cage design. Six of its eight sides contained several rows of 12 by 11 double thick glass panels. Six oil lamps, each with a highly polished reflector, made the Port Clinton light visible approximately 10 miles out into Lake Erie.
Access to the lamps was by a circular wooden staircase that terminated in a six-foot ladder and a trap door through the lantern deck. The Port Clinton Lighthouse was completed in 1833 and continued in service until 1870. This stone lighthouse continued to stand until around 1900.
At that time the Army Corps of Engineers redirected the entrance to the Portage River which had emptied into the bay. This is why Catawba Island was called an Island. When the Corps of Engineers was finished the island was connected to the mainland.
A new light, housed on top of a twelve foot square wood frame structure, consisted of a 180 degree, curved clear glass lens with horizontal ridges. The center of the light was approximately 26 feet above the Lake Erie waters. A single kerosene lantern with a ruby chimney provided a steady red light visible for six miles.
This light out on the breakwater left government service and was replaced by familiar flashing red and green entrance lights. The wooden upper structure of the lighthouse has been preserved and can be seen on the grounds of the Brand Marina.
The lighthouse keeper’s residence, which was built by the federal government, is now the Garden Restaurant and a picture of the original stone lighthouse can be seen in one of the dining rooms of the restaurant. Most of the information about the lighthouse comes from a brochure printed by the Garden at the Lighthouse Restaurant.
Now about the restaurant. When we were there, Percy spoke to Beth McFarlan-Hudson who had brought up a group from the Kiwanis Manor in Tiffin for lunch. The owner J. BouSliman says that the Garden Restaurant is a frequent stop on their outings to the Port Clinton area.
Percy, of course, ordered Lake Erie perch. It is one of the most popular entrees on their menu along with walleye. Fresh ocean fish, also, are flown in from Foleys out of Boston. We couldn’t resist the tray of luscious desserts at the end of the meal and we shared a pot of chocolate mousse. J. BouSliman says that their cheesecakes are most popular.
Some Tiffinites may remember when J. BouSliman’s father operated the Fireside Restaurant in Tiffin. That building now houses the Amvets That would have been in the 70’s. In 1984 father and son bought and operated the Garden Restaurant for two years. Then the elder BouSliman retired and now lives in Naples, Florida. J. and his wife Brenda have a four-year-old daughter, Rachel.
The atmosphere at the Garden is very pleasant. The glass enclosed addition is very popular and later there will be dining on the patio. Their summer hours are lunch, 11:30 - 2 P.M. Monday through Friday. There is an Early Bird Special at dinner from 4:30 - 5:30 P. M. The restaurant closes at 9:00P.M. The address is 226 E. Perry Street (also State Rt. 163 at Adams Street) right along the lake and just past Wendys. Their phone number is (419) 732-2151.
While we were there, we visited Connie Longaker Brand at the marina. Many of our readers may remember Connie and her husband, Darrel when they and their children attended Heidelberg College. Connie’s mother, Ruth Longaker was a resident of Tiffin for many years and well known for her caring Christian spirit and her gardening.
– Mary and Percy