Kalamazoo, Michigan: Western Michigan University (WMU) Libraries has completed the digitization of 3 logbooks, 1872 – 1889, from the South Haven lighthouse on Lake Michigan.
They are now available to the public here: https://wmich.edu/library/lighthouse-logs-collection
The link there will take you to an integrated image database where one can use the page-turner format to peruse any of the 3 books and zoom in to read the light keepers handwriting for yourself. The left of the screen contains metadata about the books and the digitization.
Captain Donahue
The main part of the collection consists of three volumes by James Donahue, also a civil war soldier who lost his leg in battle. His detailed daily entries are a rich grouping of the happenings and weather in this west Michigan port.
The Archives and Regional History Collections at WMU teamed up with the Libraries’ Digitization Center to create high resolution, color-corrected, images with a high quality Hasselblad camera to bring a realistic experience to researchers and history buffs while digitally preserving the writings. These logbooks are challenging as each entry is written across 2 pages. Far left to far right of a 2 page spread is one days entry. Each spread averages 7 days. It is one of the highest quality lighthouse logbook collections to be found on-line.
An early news release about the project: http://www.wmich.edu/news/2015/04/23022
WMUK public radio interview with the creators of the digital collection: http://wmuk.org/post/wsw-glimpse-light-house-keeper-and-his-times
The digital collection in the LUNA book reader format: http://luna.library.wmich.edu:8180/luna/servlet/s/f49ic5
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