Ear: Lightsale

Have you always wanted to own a lighthouse, and have money to burn for its restoration and upkeep? Well, the 68-foot-tall, 1,000-square-foot Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light, on Keweenaw Bay, Michigan, in Lake Superior, is up for auction by the General Services Administration, according to smithsonianmag.com.

Built in 1919 to 1920, it’s an active lighthouse (flashing white every 6 seconds), attached to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers breakwater. The lighthouse consists of a machine room, which is 25 feet by 25 feet, and a three-story octagonal tower. As of now, five people are interested, and the current bid is $16,000. While there’s no official end date, bidding sooner than later is advised at bit.ly/keweenawlight.

In 2016, its ownership was transferred from the federal government to the Keweenaw Waterway Lighthouse Conservancy. The group couldn’t preserve it properly, which is required, as it’s on the National Register of Historic Places, so that’s why the General Services Administration put this historic nugget up for sale.

“Generally, people who buy a lighthouse buy it because they love lighthouses,” Paul Hughes, a General Services Administration spokesperson, told the Detroit Free Press. “It’s a true passion for them. They have the means and the wherewithal to restore them.” (Photos: General Services Administration)