Historical Nautical Charts
Presque Isle Harbor
Historical Nautical Charts
Presque Isle Harbor
Embedded Files
Presque Isle Harbor
NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey traces its charting efforts back to 1807, when President Jefferson founded the Survey of the Coast. The United States Lake Survey (USLS) began on March 31, 1841. Both Orlando Poe, who designed the New Presque Isle Lighthouse, and Patrick Garrity, Sr. who served as Keeper at both the New and Old Presque Isle Lighthouses, worked for the USLS. Having completed the original Congressional mandate and producing 76 charts, USLS was disbanded in 1882.
The charts are courtesy of the NOAA Office of Coast Survey's Historical Map & Chart Collection. The collection covers the land and waters of the United States of America, including territories and possessions (past and present).
Historical Milestones
1835-1836: Earliest Coast Survey hydrographic surveys.
1846: First chart of New York City produced by the Coast Survey.
Notice: Historical Charts are not for Navigation. Screen captures of Historical Charts do not fulfill chart carriage requirements for regulated commercial vessels under Titles 33 and 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations. For navigational charts, please visit the NOAA Office of Coast Survey.
Click on the charts to view full size images.
Old Presque Isle Lighthouse is labeled on the chart as Light House.
The French spelling of Presqu'Ile is used on the chart.
Chart notation reads “Triangulation and Astronomical observations by Lieut. O.M. Poe Top. Engrs. assisted by Wm. Noble.”
New Presque Isle Lighthouse wasn't built until 1870.
Labeled on the chart as Abandoned Light House, Old Presque Isle Lighthouse was decommissioned in 1840.
Presqu'Ile Range Lights were first lit in 1870.
Now known as New Presque Isle Lighthouse, chart is labeled as Presqu'Ile Light & Fog Whistle. Light was first lit for the 1870 shipping season and the fog signal was built in 1890.
Narrative sailing directions on chart give specific directions to enter Presqu'Ile Harbor and False Presqu'Ile Harbor.
Price of chart is 12 cents.
Added to chart:
STO SIG STA (Storm Signal Station ) at the New Presque Isle Lighthouse
Sailing directions of compass headings and distance.
Light characteristics:
Rear and Front Range Lights flash white.
Presque Isle Lt. & Fog Signal flash white.
Burnham Dock (Submerged Cribs)
Presque Isle PO (Post Office)
Birch Hill Hotel
Old Grand Lake Club Hotel
Water areas with depths to 6, 12, 18 feet are tinted in blue.
Current East Grand Lake Road is labeled as Alpena Road.
Price of chart is 15 cents,
Price of chart is 15 cents,
The symbol FD is added to New Presque Isle Lt characteristic indicating the fog signal is a fog diaphone. The air diaphone fog signal was installed September 27, 1926.
Stoneport added to the chart.
Lark's Harbor Lodge at Presque Isle Harbor
Today's NOAA Office of Coast Survey traces its charting efforts back to 1807, when President Thomas Jefferson founded the Survey of the Coast. To celebrate and preserve this long history, NOAA started assembling the collection in 1995 as a data rescue effort. NOAA continues to preserve charts and maps produced by NOAA's Coast Survey and its predecessors, especially the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and the U.S. Lake Survey (previously under the Department of War).
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Presque Isle Township Museum Society
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