This Family Made The Wildest Impulse Buy In Michigan

When I make an impulse buy, usually it's a Snickers bar or a video game I'll play for 10 minutes and never touch again. Rarely are impulse buys something that amounts to anything of real value, but a family in Michigan's Upper Peninsula boldly decided to buy and repair a historic lighthouse on the Keweenaw Peninsula. A bit more serious than a candy bar.

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The Harbourt's & Jacobsville Lighthouse Inn

According to the Portage River Lighthouse blog, husband and wife Chris and Susan Harbourt, both of whom are engineers, had been searching for over 20 years for a place that would speak to them. After coming across the listing for this old lighthouse in Jacobsville, though clearly in dire need of repair, it spoke to them.

Their inital inspections showed a guesthouse that was started but never completed, and the lighthouse tower's outer casing was delaminating. The photo below was from the day they first inspected the property.

However, if anyone was up to the challenge of fixing up a lighthouse from 1869 that was left in a state of utter neglect, it was this engineering couple and their two boys, Mark and James. The family planned to return the Jacobsville Lighthouse Inn back to its former glory as the Portage River Lighthouse.

Since they closed on the property in 2022, the family has worked tirelessly to give the Portage River Lighthouse respect it deserves. However, this isn't the first time the lighthouse has been in need of repair. The history of this lighthouse is full of twists and turns.

History of the Portage River Lighthouse

The Portage River Lighthouse was built in 1855 and was met with issues almost immediately upon completion. The lighthouse did not pass inspection because it 'was not building in conformity to the terms of the contract".

Read More: 14 Mile Point Lighthouse Celebrates 40 Years Since Burning Down |

Despite this, the lighthouse operated for about 10 years before the issues with its construction become apparent, resulting in the entire lighthouse and its accompanying building needed to be rebuilt from scratch.

Upon completion, the lighthouse was in service until 1920 when it was decommisioned. Since then, the property has transferred hands between private owners and once again slowly fell into disrepair until now.

You can read the full history of the lighthouse here. Otherwise, The Harbourts are documenting their journey in repairing and recommissioning the Portage River Lighthouse on their blog and their official Instagram. The property is private and not open to the public. The photo below the most up to date photo of the work they've done on the property.