Harbor Beach Lighthouse Laser Scanning

To help transfer the ownership of the Harbor Beach Lighthouse from the United States Coast Guard to the City of Harbor Beach, Spicer Group conducted a laser scan and boundary survey of the lighthouse, which was built in 1885 to serve as a navigational marker for marine vessels traversing Lake Huron. The City of Harbor Beach, with the help from the Harbor Beach Lighthouse Preservation Association was granted ownership by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment. The boundary survey and legal description of the lighthouse needed to be done before ownership could be legally transferred. The actual foundation supporting the lighthouse is detached from the Harbor Beach Harbor Breakwall and sits approximately one mile off shore. So to reach the lighthouse, Spicer’s surveyors used the hydrographic survey vessel to access it. After setting up a GPS base station at the Harbor Beach State Park, Spicer’s survey professionals set survey-grade nails in epoxy in the exterior foundation of the lighthouse. GPS coordinates of each nail were recorded and tied with section corners located inland. All resulting data was used to produce the final legal documents. Spicer Group also conducted a laser scan image of the structure to collect valuable electronic image data for future preservation activities if needed.