Light will once again illuminate from the iconic Agate Bay Lighthouse in Two Harbors.

This comes after the Coast Guard loaned the lighthouse a temporary beacon, which was officially turned on Wednesday.

Members of the Lake County Historical Society and longtime volunteers attended the lighting celebration and shared their excitement about seeing the tower glow for the foreseeable future.

“Generations have seen it,” Brad Ronning, one of the lighthouse’s four volunteer lighthouse keepers said. “It’s been here for a long time and we want to keep it going and we will keep it going.”

The temporary beacon is a stationary flashing LED light. It will remain on display at the lighthouse for up to five years while the organization works to raise money to purchase a rotating LED beacon.

“The replacement beacon that would rotate is about $60,000 which is a large lump of change for a non-profit like ours –especially coming out of the pandemic so we have a little bit of time to plan and start a fundraiser,” Ellen Lynch, Executive Director of the Lake County Historical Society said.

Jody Zastera of Two Harbors has a special connection to the lighthouse because her mother served as the president of the Historical Society for many years and her father helped restore the tower's previous beacon.

“My dad called it ‘Anne’s Lighthouse,’” Zastera said. “My mother was the one who got the lighthouse going again and the bed and breakfast and the gift shops so it was a very important part of our family.”

Zastera, like many at the lighthouse Wednesday, hope to see it restored to its original glory.

“It was always a light for people in town,” Zastera said.

The Agate Bay Lighthouse is a private aid to navigation, meaning that they have a special permit from the United States Coast Guard to keep their beacon lit year-round. 

A fundraiser for the lighthouse called ‘Keep the Light Lit’ has been organized. A link for those interested in donating can be found here.

To see the original report and read related stories, follow this link to the WDIO-TV website. https://www.wdio.com/duluth-minnesota-news/light-restored-to-two-harbors-agate-bay-lighthouse/612912...