Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Johnson’s Island resident, Dennis Kennedy, will be the Catawba Island Historical Society’s (CIHS) spring speaker on May 13 at 6 p.m. His detailed presentation will discuss the background and history of the Marblehead Lighthouse — the oldest continuously operating nautical beacon on the Great Lakes.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at the Catawba Island Township Community Center.
Kennedy, a past president of the Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society, is originally from Columbus, where he attended The Ohio State University and earned a degree in industrial design. Following post graduate employment, first by an architect and subsequently by a commercial industrial design firm, he purchased a small company in 1978 — Boss Display — that produced trade show exhibits.
“We slowly converted and grew Boss into an international business that specialized in building museum displays,” Kennedy said. “After selling the company and moving north to Lake Erie in 2002, it was almost preordained that I would volunteer with an organization like Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society and its associated attractions at the Keeper’s House and Lifesaving Station Museums.”
Marblehead Lighthouse, built in 1822, is widely acclaimed as one of the most recognized and photographed landmarks in Ohio. It resides in the state’s second smallest park. Its Marblehead Peninsula home is underlain by Columbus Limestone, a mineral once frequently mistaken for Marble which accounts for the location’s name.
The presentation will last about 45 minutes and provide ample opportunity for questions and answers. It will begin with the fifteenth U.S. Congress setting aside $5,000 in 1819 to build the 50-foot Marblehead tower. Tales will be told of the 15 lighthouse keepers, including the first — Revolutionary War veteran Benajah Wolcott who died in 1832 and was followed in the role by his wife.
A lifesaving station was built near the lighthouse in 1876. Lucien Clemons, who had saved two sailors from a shipwreck off the Marblehead peninsula a year earlier, was named the station’s first commander. Kennedy played a key role in the design and construction in 2016 of a museum replica of the original Lifesaving Station. It includes a restored 27-foot Coast Guard rescue boat. His speech will elaborate upon evolution of the U.S. Lifesaving Service into the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Kennedy speech about Marblehead Lighthouse is part of Catawba Island Historical Society’s Cultural Lecture series. A total of three such presentations are planned for 2026. Information about the remaining two will be publicized and detailed on the CIHS website when available. Learn more about CIHS, including membership opportunities, at www.CatawbaIslandHistoricalSociety.com.
