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As South Haven grew in prominence as a shipping port, the Army Corps of Engineers became responsible for harbor improvements in 1867, and over the following year increased the width of the channel to 120 feet, and extended the piers far enough to maintain an average channel depth of twelve feet.
Due to be built in 1870, a sweeping recall of government funds put off construction until 1871. Consisting of a thirty foot tall wooden structure, the lower portion was open, supporting a single storage room topped by an octagonal cast iron lantern. Captain W. P. Bryan was appointed as the station's first keeper, and exhibited the light for the first time on an as yet undetermined date in 1872.
As part of a system-wide experiment with new illuminating apparatus, in 1890 the South Haven beacon was selected as a trial location for a Walsbach burner gasoline light. Evidently, the trial was successful, as it was reported that the new apparatus doubled the intensity of the light while reducing gasoline consumption by half.
The attention to detail of a Spoontiques lighthouse make them very attractive to collectors, and they are a wonderful keepsake or gift.
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