![]() Please click for the keeper application procedures, for the keeper handbook, and see the Keeper Tab for the keeper availability calendar. If you are interested in becoming a Lighthouse Keeper at Mission Point Lighthouse, you are not alone. ![]() (Check with manager for off-season rates.) Mission Point Lighthouse is a State and National Historic Site. Pets and children cannot stay at the lighthouse. There is an optional task list given and duties will be discussed with lighthouse manager on arrival. Of course, the schedule off-season is more flexible since the shop is not open. In the off-season, we can accommodate a minimum of 3-night stays. So winter keepers can stay alone if interested and days are flexible. All the same responsibilities are needed but no retail hours in the gift shop are required. We schedule off-season keepers only during weeks when contractors are not working in the lighthouse. If you embrace snow and northern Michigan winters, you are welcome to be a keeper in our closed season December through March, when available. and we have a storage building for recreational storage use. Many keepers choose to bring bikes, SUP boards, kayaks etc. Camping or use of a motorhome is not permitted. Private access parking is available directly behind the lighthouse for keepers. There is a thorough training manual provided too. Information about the brief history of Mission Point Lighthouse, as well as retail training, are provided. While keepers may certainly leave after the lighthouse is closed for the day, keepers are expected to sleep in the lighthouse each night of their stay. We encourage keepers to explore Traverse City after 5pm and on their day off. Keepers are expected to be neat, well groomed, and appropriately attired when on duty. Nearly each year at least half of those scheduled are repeat keepers. (Cost is $200 for the week and $370 for 2 consecutive weeks if qualified.) A 2-week stay or more is happily encouraged, especially for repeat keepers. Retail training starts on Thursday, the day the shop is open. Upon arrival, the keepers will be given a tour of the house and grounds so everything is clear and understood. One day off (Wednesday) is given each week. The normal weekly schedule is Tuesday to Tuesday with arrival in the afternoon and departure in the late morning. Of course, keepers need to be friendly and helpful to all visitors. Our retail tasks are very simple with the Square POS on WIFI/Bluetooth system, tax is included and all items are priced simply so giving change is easy. Keepers also encourage and maintain visitation records help with retail stocking and typical retail duties. We enjoy keepers with talents/experience that can benefit our historic property. Keepers are also expected to perform some very simple grounds maintenance on the lighthouse property (not mowing) light housekeeping and if time permits, a choice of maintenance projects (painting, minor repairs, etc.). While the responsibilities are not difficult, lighthouse keepers do need to be able to climb the 37 steps to the tower to spot clean the windows, sweep stairs and vacuum daily. Keepers are welcome to have friends or family visit the lighthouse in the evenings (after 5 pm), but guests are not to overnight at the lighthouse. Keepers must be 18 or older. Children and pets are not allowed to stay at the lighthouse. We also have a sleeper sofa in the living room. The bedroom has two single beds, which can be kept together for a couple or spread apart for friends or other relations. Mission Point Lighthouse keepers are two high-energy adults (occasionally we can schedule up to 4 keepers). Keepers provide their own bed sheets, pillows, blankets, towels, and food. The living quarters has a modern furnace and central air-conditioner. We have a locked storage building for keepers bikes or other recreational equipment. ![]() There is free WIFI, a television with cable service, central air conditioning, a generator and plenty of space. The area of the house where the keeper stays has: kitchen appliances, dishes, cooking utensils, small appliances (coffee maker, toaster, microwave, crock pot, gas grill, etc.), ironing board and iron, all cleaning supplies, and even a washer and a dryer. ![]() The keepers’ quarters area is well equipped with all the essentials needed to have a comfortable stay. Michigan lighthouses are owned by different organizations or some are privately owned, so the few keeper programs available vary and have separate application processes. In the gift shop and on the property, you get to meet and talk to visitors from all over the world. Our keepers play a key role in helping to keep this treasured piece of Michigan maritime history alive. You can live in Mission Point Lighthouse and be a keeper with our unique and popular Lighthouse Keeper Program! Being a keeper for a week is a wonderfully unique volunteer opportunity in which you will stay in the actual lighthouse and share your time and talents.
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