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The St. Joseph Historic Lighthouse and catwalk, located on the city's North Pier, was erected at the mouth of the St. Joseph River in 1832. It was one of the first two lighthouses built on Lake Michigan. It is thought to have been the home of the late Captain Pickering. In 1859, a replacement lighthouse was built on the bluff. The tower and beacon were constructed first. The lightkeeper's house was built around it later. That beacon was replaced by range lights after the north and south piers were built in 1907 and 1919, respectively. St. Joseph and Grand Haven boast the only remaining two-pier range light

systems with both towers and catwalks intact. In 1938, the U.S. Coast Guard assumed responsibilities for

navigation warning signals and marine safety, absorbing the lighthouse services. The original St. Joseph

lighthouse with tower and beacon was torn down in 1955. The current lighthouse replica was constructed

later on the North Pier.

Both the North and South Pier - which house the range lights - are publicly accessible.

The current North Pier lighthouse was featured by the U.S. Postal Service

in a series of commemorative Great Lakes Lighthouse stamps in 1995