SOUTH HAVEN — The thousands of Michigan motorists who proudly display a lighthouse on the license plate of their vehicle are helping the initiative to restore the Lake Michigan lighthouse at South Haven.
The State of Michigan, through its Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program (MLAP), has granted the Historical Association of South Haven (HASH) a matching $60,000 grant for the project’s exterior work.
Last year a local “Save the Light” fund raising initiative spearheaded by HASH brought in over $300,000 in donations for the project to restore the 113-year-old lighthouse.
The MLAP program was established in 2001 to assist in the preservation, rehabilitation and protection of historic lighthouses in Michigan. Funding for the program comes solely from the sale of lighthouse license plates which number approximately 160,000. With its striking red-and-white stripes, the White Shoal Lighthouse is set against the blue waters of Lake Michigan to symbolize the need to preserve all 124 of Michigan’s lighthouses.
Your organization’s dedication to preserving Michigan’s historic resources is to be commended. Brian Conway, state historic preservation officer for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, which oversees the Lighthouse Assistance Program (MLAP).
