WHITEHALL — The White River Light Station celebrated its 150th anniversary with a special event Saturday at the lighthouse, welcoming descendants of former lighthouse keepers, local luminaries and people past and present who have worked to preserve the venerable building.
Some 120 descendants of the lighthouse's first keeper, Capt. William Robinson, were on hand as part of a huge family reunion that was planned around the 150th anniversary celebration, and in all, Lakeshore Keepers executive director Jack Greve said, he estimated around 65% of attendees were keepers' descendants.
Several of those descendants, including Stevensville native Beth Weichhand, a fifth-generation Robinson, were here for a 125-year celebration in 2000 as well, but this was a much more organized affair, including shuttle service to and from the Fruitland Township hall sponsored by the White Lake Area Women.
Weichhand said she is the granddaughter of William's grandson, Thomas Robinson, and Thomas' wife Gertrude. Thomas settled in Benton Harbor and became a lawyer and a judge, Weichhand said.
Robinson descendants were easily identifiable not just by their red ribbons - descendants of former White River keepers wore color-coded ribbons corresponding to the keeper in their family tree, with the red Robinson ribbons the most abundant - but their brightly colored t-shirts, coded to identify which branch of the Robinson tree they were part of. Weichhand and her immediate family wore bright green t-shirts.
"The Thomas and Gertrude family, which is my grandparents, are deceased," Weichhand said. "Almost all of their grandchildren are here today."
The greater Robinson clan put together a family reunion at Duck Lake State Park around the 150th anniversary celebration, Weichhand said, with her cousin Mary spearheading the proceedings by renting a pavilion there when she heard of preparations for the 150th about four months ago.
The Robinson descendants and others who attended the free event were treated to tributes delivered by the City of Montague, Fruitland Township and by Michigan itself, as well as reminiscences from longtime "Lady of the Light" Karen McDonnell, who served as the lighthouse's museum curator from 1983-2012, lived in the building, and had a major impact on building restoration and the influx of artifacts that now dot the museum.
Also part of the day were a raffle to raise money for the museum - several local businesses contributed prizes - and meals served by The Gnarly Heifer.
Fruitland owns the lighthouse and contracts with Lakeshore Keepers (formerly Sable Point Lighthouse Keepers Association) to run the White River station. Supervisor Jeff Marcinkowski was among those to share tributes, noting that previous supervisor Greg Boughton was in office when McDonnell was hired.
"The biggest foundation is the people," Marcinkowski said. "If there wasn't somebody that thought this lighthouse needed to be built, it wouldn't have been built. People knew there was a need and they built it. This is the reason we have the lighthouse logo as our township logo. It's a foundational thing, and people recognize it.
"We're not here to glorify the structure, but to thank and remember all the people who gave their time, talent and treasure to create a lasting beacon of light for our township residents and the hundreds of visitors to the lighthouse each year."
Marcinkowski added that the township enjoys a strong relationship with Lakeshore Keepers and that whenever executive director Jack Greve approaches the township with an idea that "fits with the nature and character of the building, we're all for it."
McDonnell shared several stories of her work building the White River Light Station museum up over the years, sharing that when she came for her job interview for the curator position she held for nearly 30 years, it was love at first sight. That didn't make her job easy, though.
"What I found out was that you can't just drive out to Lighthouse Depot," McDonnell joked of when she found something that needed replacing or improving at the station. "What you have to do is a several-step procedure."
Unsatisfied with the museum when she took over the position, McDonnell spent much of her time beefing up the available memorabilia there. She grew familiar with maritime artifacts dealers in Put-in-Bay, Ohio, traveling there with her brother to see what she could find to boost the museum.
"They had a warehouse and a showroom," McDonnell said. "When we got there, we were like two kids in a maritime artifact candy shop."
McDonnell also boosted the museum through the procurement of grants, which were often matched by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Those helped fund restoration work, and since the trust shared McDonnell's insistence work be done properly and with respect to the past, the relationship was an easy one.
Over the years, McDonnell worked to grow youth interest in maritime history by hosting third-graders from local school districts on field trips. There were bumps in the road - she recalls thinking, "What have I done?" the first time she set a huge crop of kids loose at the lighthouse - but over time she streamlined the events to make them run smoothly.
McDonnell wasn't technically a lighthouse keeper - the lighthouse was decommissioned well before she took the curator job - but she told enthusiasts she did "some light housekeeping," as a pun. She also occasionally spoke to groups wearing a replica lighthouse keeper's uniform, although as she said, regulations at the time of lighthouses being operational did not permit women to do so; "I'm being really defiant," she would say when she wore the replica. The light station's only female keeper, Frances Johnson, was technically a civilian keeper, not a uniformed one.
"It wasn't easy to leave, and I still love this place," McDonnell said; she now lives in California. "It will always be my baby lighthouse. I got a tour from the volunteers (Saturday) morning and I got a tour of my old living quarters, and I was teary-eyed."
Montague city council member Ken Mahoney read an excerpt from the city's tribute, which Mahoney said was made despite its Whitehall location because the lighthouse is visible from Montague's Medbery Park. State representative Curt VanderWall also shared his congratulations, saying he had lighthouse keeping in his family via Big Point Sable Lighthouse in Mason County and one of his most memorable Thanksgivings growing up was spent visiting there. The state tribute, which VanderWall presented a copy of for display, was signed by VanderWall and state senator Jon Bumstead, as well as Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist.
"Through the tireless efforts of local communities, historians and volunteers, this lighthouse has remained an enduring emblem of Whitehall's maritime heritage, drawing visitors from far and wide," the state tribute read in part.
