See more of our coverage of the General Services Administration’s 70th anniversary in our series, GSA @ 70: Mission Evolved
The federal government maintains thousands of properties around the country and sometimes needs to offload a few. This includes properties not on the mainland U.S., such as light houses from New England to the Caribbean, the Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest.
The General Services Administration’s National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act Program works with states, local communities, nonprofits and individuals to convey these historic structures for the sake of preservation. Scroll through the gallery to see some lighthouses currently for sale, as well as the most recent property transfers through the program.
Gray’s Reef Lighthouse
Lake Michigan (near Bliss Township), Michigan
This light station was built in 1936 to warn mariners of the dangers near the 1000-foot wide Gray’s Reef Passage. The shoal at Gray’s Reef was considered such a threat to navigation that it received one of the earliest federal lightships placed into service on the Great Lakes, according to the city of St. Ignace. Federal Lightship 57, Gray’s Reef, was anchored there from 1891 to 1936, when the current lighthouse became operational. The Gray’s Reef Light was automated in 1976. It is identical in design to Minneapolis Shoal Light. The entire base structure is sheathed in steel plates, while the lens is encased in a steel lantern room that measures 8 feet in diameter.