Split Rock Lighthouse preservation project nears finish in Lake County

Scaffolding is coming down at Split Rock Lighthouse as crews finish a preservation project that added a new sensor system to monitor moisture inside the landmark and help keep humidity lower in the harsh Lake Superior environment. The work also included cosmetic repairs.

The Minnesota Historical Society launched the project on March 3 to protect the 7.6-acre site from constant weather stress on Lake Superior’s rocky shore. The new system collects real-time data on moisture levels, a step meant to reduce long-term wear instead of waiting for damage to spread. Broader restoration and rehabilitation work at the site began in spring 2025 and included improvements to existing pathways and a return to historic circulation patterns in the core of the property.

The site is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the timing of the finish lines up with a Free Admission Day on Saturday, when more visitors are expected to see the restored exterior and the work that went into protecting it. A free Keeper’s View open house is also planned for July 31, with a beacon lighting marking the lighthouse’s 116th anniversary.

Congress approved $75,000 in early 1907 for a lighthouse and fog signal after the 1905 Mataafa Storm damaged or destroyed 29 boats on Lake Superior. The U.S. Lighthouse Service completed the facility in 1910, and the light was first lit on July 31 of that year. For nearly 15 years, the site could be reached only by water until the Lake Superior International Highway opened in 1924, opening the remote point to far more visitors.

The lighthouse later received National Historic Landmark designation in 2011.