Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont.
Grosse Point Lighthouse, located at the southern end of Lake Michigan in Evanston, Illinois, was established in 1873 as the primary lighthouse marking the approach to Chicago. Since 1983, for an amazing 42 years, Don Terras has been chief administrator of the Lighthouse Park District, a unit of local government in Evanston. He is also the live-in manager of the Grosse Point Light Station museum, essentially serving as the modern-day keeper.
This is an edited version of a conversation with Don Terras that was recorded in the museum in the former keeper’s house at Grosse Point Light Station in November 2019. Also taking part in the conversation is Jeff Gales, executive director of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
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U.S. Lighthouse Society Historian Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of 24 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is a past president of the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s weekly podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org