The lighthouse was originally built by
MDOT in 1998 as an
architectural folly at the Monroe
welcome center on
I-75 near
Monroe, Michigan, in the southeastern corner of the state near the Ohio border. It was a lighthouse structure that was constructed far away from navigational waters as an element of the tourist heritage of the state. In 2004, MDOT decided to renovate the center and declared the structure obsolete. It was scheduled to be demolished. After concerns were raised about this decision, the state government agreed that the structure should be dismantled and moved to a location where it would be useful. Serendipitously, while attending a conference for municipal officials, St. Ignace civic leaders learned of its availability. The civic leaders successfully applied to serve as the new location of the structure, and the lighthouse was disassembled into five pieces and trucked more than from Monroe to
East Moran Bay in
St. Ignace, Michigan. When it was at the welcome center, the
hexagonal tower was painted white, with green and red trim. The original lighthouse was welded by a single man; Ed Morris, owner of the Morris Machine Shop in
Bay City, Michigan, was chosen because of his skill as a
welder. The lighthouse was one of three that he built for Michigan welcome centers. The other two were at
New Buffalo, Michigan and
Clare, Michigan. Morris worked with eight men and it took about three months to complete the projects. Based upon a survey of residents, it was named
Wawatam Lighthouse in honor of a
railroad car ferry that had been home-ported in St. Ignace for many decades,
SS Chief Wawatam. After reassembly, the Wawatam Lighthouse was relit on August 20, 2006. The lighthouse is now an official
United States Coast Guard privately maintained
aid to navigation, USCG 7–12608, on
Lake Huron. Maintenance is by the city of St. Ignace. Public access is by walking the pier. The ferry boat, in turn, had been named in honor of a leading Straits of Mackinac local resident of the 1700s, the
Odawa clan leader
Wawatam. and operates year-round. It not only guides mariners but is a beacon for
snowmobilers traveling across the frozen Straits of Mackinac to and from
Mackinac Island in winter. The lighthouse was the featured lighthouse of the Michigan Lighthouse festival in 2015. As of 2017, this was the latest addition to Michigan's 150 listed (
including historical and now demolished) lighthouses. ==Location==