Local lighthouse gets a fresh coat of paint

ESCANABA — A famous Delta County landmark is getting a bit of a makeover.

Painters have been hard at work over the past few days giving the Sand Point Lighthouse at the end of Ludington Street in Escanaba a fresh coat of white paint. The work is being done on the historic landmark thanks in part to a grant from the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program — a program funded by custom license plates that residents can purchase from the state.

“This lighthouse was a very, very important part of the foundation of this city,” said Elizabeth Keller, a board member of the Delta County Historical Society. “It was primarily built to protect incoming traffic — boat traffic — from the sandbar that extends out from the lighthouse. In the last number of days since the painter’s been working, so many people have stopped to admire the lighthouse, and I think that it will bring more people to see it.”

In total, the repainting is going to cost about $21,000, with $7,000 of that being contributed by the Delta County Historical Society. According to the Historical Society’s website, the lighthouse cost $11,000 to build — but of course, that was a century and a half ago.