Historic Duluth Lighthouse Welcomes New Ownership

The National Park Service has awarded Rethos — a St. Paul, Minnesota-based historic preservation nonprofit — the Duluth Harbor North Pierhead Lighthouse, after the U.S. Coast Guard announced in 2021 it no longer had need of the property, reports MPR News.

Built in 1910, the 43-foot lighthouse is situated at the entrance to the Duluth Ship Canal. “When you look back at the city, you see Duluth go right up the hill, and it’s just this amazing vantage point to be able to tell the story of land and water, and talk about that entire past of Duluth,” says Rethos Executive Director Heidi Swank, reports MPR News.

The lighthouse was offered at no cost to government agencies, nonprofits and educational groups, and Rethos was the chosen recipient of the historic building. They plan to open the lighthouse to the public next summer after some upkeep, with interpretive signs and guided tours of the lighthouse that focus on its history as well as that of the great Duluth harbor area and its maritime history.

“It seemed kind of crazy to me that we would take over a lighthouse, but it also seemed pretty spectacular to be able to take over a lighthouse, especially one in Duluth on Lake Superior where we could tell that really great story of Duluth,” adds Swank.