Green Island Light on Green Island in western Lake Erie evolved from a wooden lighthouse built in 1854 to a limestone keeper’s house and tower erected after a disastrous fire on December 31, 1863. During that storm, keeper Charles Drake and his wife and daughter survived the blaze by sheltering overnight in an outhouse until rescue came the next day. Over time the isolated station gained a barn, boathouse, and walkway across the island, reflecting the demands of life at the light. Automated in 1926 and replaced by a taller steel tower in 1939, the old lighthouse was abandoned and later burned, leaving a hollow shell.