Charlotte was once a bustling commercial shipping port where sidewheelers and sailing vessels unloaded supplies for a growing city and loaded products from the region, and the outlet of the Genesee River had long been important for commerce, with Native Americans camping there, the first white settlers choosing the site for a cabin, and the bluff recognized as the best location for a beacon marking the entrance to a growing lakeport. The harbor remains an important hub, though it is now used primarily by recreational boaters. The site’s timeline includes the first light on the Great Lakes at the mouth of the Niagara River in 1781, lighthouses becoming a federal responsibility in 1789, the Hincher cabin built in 1792, the first piers built in 1829, the lighthouse and original keeper’s dwelling built in 1822, the pier light built in 1838, a new lantern and Fresnel lens added in 1856, the present keeper’s house built in 1863, the light removed from service in 1881 with the lantern moved to the pier, the lighthouse saved from demolition in 1965 primarily through the efforts of Charlotte High School students, and initial restoration begun in 1984.
