WayfarrowPoverty Island Light Station
Lighthouse · Delta County, Michigan
Poverty Island Light Station is a lighthouse in Delta County, Michigan. Michigan has 124 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 5 of them in Delta County.
It was built in 1875, in the late 19th century, making it the 37th oldest of the 89 in Michigan with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 70 feet tall (10th tallest of 63 measured in Michigan); it was deactivated in 1976.
Status check, 2026-11: Abandoned brick tower, first lit August 10, 1875, inactive since 1976 when a nearby steel tower took over; its lantern was removed; Lighthouse Digest lists it as 'America's Most Endangered Lighthouse' (Wikipedia gives 65 ft, which is the height to the lens). Poverty Island Light Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 45.5272° N, 86.6636° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1875 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 70 ft |
| Deactivated | 1976 |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 45.52722, -86.66361 |
Nearby places
- St. Martin Island Lightlighthouse · Delta County · 4.9 mi
- Pottawatomie Lightlighthouse · Door County · 10.5 mi
- Minneapolis Shoal Light Stationlighthouse · Delta County · 16.2 mi
- Peninsula Point Lighthouselighthouse · Delta County · 17.6 mi
- Plum Island Range Lightslighthouse · Door County · 20.8 mi
- Plum Island Range rear lightlighthouse · Door County · 20.8 mi
- Pilot Island Lightlighthouse · Door County · 20.9 mi
- Plum Island Range front lightlighthouse · Door County · 21 mi
- Sand Point Lightlighthouse · Delta County · 23.8 mi
- North Escabanaghost town · Delta County · 27.6 mi
- Manistique East Breakwater Lightlighthouse · Schoolcraft County · 35.2 mi
- Cana Island Lightlighthouse · Door County · 35.6 mi
Questions
Where is Poverty Island Light Station?
Poverty Island Light Station is in Delta County, Michigan, at 45.5272, -86.6636.
How many lighthouses are in Delta County?
Delta County, Michigan has 5 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.