Owners turn U.P. light house into bed and breakfast

TORCH LAKE — It’s one of only a handful privately owned lighthouses in the Upper Peninsula. Mike and Cherie Ditty bought the Jacobsville Lighthouse near the east entrance to the Portage River in 2004, and turned it into a bed a breakfast.

Owner of the Jacobsville Lighthouse Inn Mike Ditty said, “Most of the people that come here are people that are interested in lighthouses and I know a lot about the lake and the lighthouses around the lake, so I’m able to share that information with them.”

The lighthouse was built in 1869 during a time when ships frequented Keweenaw Bay often and the local quarry was literally supplying the building blocks of the Copper Country.

Nine light keepers kept the lamps lit for 50 years, now the caretakers look after guests staying at the historic site. Open year round, the inn gets about 100 guests annually with roughly the same amount who visit just to check it out.

Ditty said, “A lot of people appreciate somebody doing this, because otherwise this would sit here and not be used at all.”
The only financial support the Ditty’s receive is from their business and local donations.