Carol Fisher-Linn
The story goes that the first shots of the War of 1812 were fired toward Canada from aboard a ship near the Point Gratiot lighthouse in Lake Erie. Canada was a British colony at the time, and, alas, we were at war with Great Britain. BTW: Most Native American tribes during the War of 1812 sided with the British because they wanted to protect their tribal lands. Some tribes remained neutral, or sided with the States, while others allied with Britain. Iroquois statesman Red Jacket did not side with the British even though the Senecas did. In his later years, Red Jacket, renamed Sagoyewatha, lived in Buffalo. On his death, his remains were buried in an Indian cemetery, then later moved to section 12 Forest lawn Cemetery in Buffalo where a grand monument was erected over his grave by the Buffalo Historical Society. Beside him lie other famous Senecas among whom are Ely Parker (who lived for a short time in Ellicottville), Deerfoot and others. You can see the Peace medal Red Jacket received from President Washington in 1792 at the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum in Salamanca.
The 61foot Port Gratiot lighthouse tower is now known as the Dunkirk Historical Lighthouse and Veterans Park Museum. It has one of the most prominent signal lights possessing a 27-mile range. It was established in 1826 and the current tower has been lit since 1875. It was automated in 1960. But it still uses the original third-order Fresnel lens which was installed in 1857. Here is a link to a video of the lighthouse by Nick Fuller. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kKMYuaCxzFcj4cyO8kEtxBDK14j5QVAj/view
The museum opens daily at 10 – 4; visitors can explore the historic lighthouse with daily tours available until 3 until the end of this month. A visit to their homepage tells of “a wedding dress made from two WWII parachutes that four local sisters were married in. The “Waltzing Matilda” or the grass skirt that was used as part of the King Neptune ceremony in the Navy along with the other military memorabilia located on the second floor.” Remember to plan a return visit for a ghost tour. Some folk have reported people walking about, climbing the tower stairs, talking and humming. Book your own ghost hunt. 3 Tours in October – book here: http://www.dunkirklighthouse.com/ghost_hunts_schedule.htm
Buffalo Lighthouse- Fuhrmann Boulevard, Buffalo, NY, Hours: Saturday, Walk the Site 11am-4pm | Tower Tours 1-3pm. According to LighthouseFriends.com, the history of lighthouses in WNY can be traced back to the 1700s, when the French maintained temporary lights around Fort Niagara. At that time, Buffalo was just a small village within Native American territory. The first large lights on the Great Lakes were set up in Canada, but they were also needed on the American side. A declaration of Congress in 1805 stated that the village of Buffalo was a port of entry and in 1811 a plan was developed to acquire land for a lighthouse. The plan sat on the back burner because the British burned down Buffalo. It was finally completed in 1818. The 60’ octagonal lighthouse, known as Buffalo Main Light, was deactivated in 1914. The lens installed in 1857 was a third order Fresnel lens, the same as the one in Dunkirk.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Buffalo Main Light is the oldest structure still standing in its original location in the city of Buffalo. By the late 1800’s Buffalo was booming with increasing ship traffic. Breakwaters had to be constructed along with new lighthouses, which were finished and lit by 1903. They were deactivated in 1985 and 1993. The south lighthouse was replaced by the current South tower, which is a blinking red light on a pole on the breakwater next to the original tower.
In addition to the historic Buffalo lighthouse, there are several others around Western New York that played key roles in our nation’s history. Example: Fort Niagara Lighthouse – Built in 1872, the Fort Niagara Lighthouse served as one of the few natural harbors on Lake Ontario and a pivotal portage route around Niagara Falls for early American settlers. According to Discover Update New York, this lighthouse is currently the only one on the Great Lakes with a high-definition camera for live streaming. Learn more about the lighthouse here.