Stannard’s Rock Lens
The Museum is proud to display the Stannard’s Rock Lighthouse lens. It is a second order classical 12 bulls eye Fresnel lens built in Paris in 1880. There were only five second order Fresnels used on the Great Lakes. Grosse Point on Lake Michigan, Spectacle Reef on Lake Huron and Stannard’s on Lake Superior all had the classic “beehive” style lens while White Shoal on Lake Michigan and Rock of Ages on Lake Superior had “clam shell” style Fresnel lenses.
The Stannard’s Rock lens proper weighs about two tons and the iron pedestal another two tons. The lens stands roughly ten feet high and has a diameter of five feet. The 12 bulls eyes are intended to provide a flash as the lens rotated at a speed of one revolution every three minutes. Visibility of the light was a nominal 25 miles although it could be much greater or less depending on weather and atmospheric conditions. The longest reported sighting was 45 miles.
When Museum volunteers first assembled it in 1999 it took over 5,000 hours to clean, repair and finally erect. Funding for the project was provided by the Keweenaw Band Indian Community.
In the spring of 2003 the lens was disassembled and work started on the ultimate display plan which envisions the lens mounted in a recreated lantern room constructed in the Museum’s Wilson Hall. The lantern room will be built in cut a way, so the visitor will see both the exterior of the tower and interior of the room.
Once the lens was disassembled a hole was cut into the floor and a thick concrete pad was formed and poured to provide a stable base for the lens. The massive pedestal was disassembled and moved in sections to the pad and erected. The lower area surrounding it was built to resemble the actual tower watch room in every detail. Once the lens “spider” mount was erected above to guide and steady the lens the Fresnel was carefully reassembled.
Once the project is completed, to include the remounting of pedestal doors and clockworks, the lens will rotate again, in faithful tribute to the men who manned the “loneliest place in America.”
