圣约瑟夫北码头内灯和外灯，密歇根州，美国 St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights, Michigan (© Kenneth Keifer/Getty Images)

圣约瑟夫北码头内灯和外灯，密歇根州，美国 St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights, Michigan (© Kenneth Keifer/Getty Images)

不止是航海需要它 More than nautical necessity

圣约瑟夫北码头内灯和外灯，密歇根州

昏暗的黄昏中，灯塔点亮了密歇根湖与圣约瑟夫河的交汇处。19世纪，密歇根湖上修建了两座码头，它们分别位于圣约瑟夫河河口的两侧，以帮助保护上游航行的船只。到了20世纪初，每个码头的尽头都修建了一座灯塔。如图所示，它们便是圣约瑟夫北码头内灯和外灯。2005年，这些码头尽头的灯塔被添加到美国国家历史遗迹名录中。

灯塔不仅可以指示出海岸线、危险区域和港口的安全入口，也是美丽而坚固的图标，几个世纪以来一直代表着稳定，只要人类还在海上航行，它们就会继续发挥作用。

St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights, Michigan

Amid dusky hues, lighthouses mark where a Great Lake meets a river. Two piers were built on Lake Michigan, one either side of the mouth of the St. Joseph River to help protect ships sailing upstream. In the early 20th century, a lighthouse was built at the end of each pier; the St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights, pictured here.

Congress designated August 7 as National Lighthouse Day in 1989 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Lighthouse Act and to celebrate these iconic structures. Lighthouses not only mark hazards, and safe entries to harbors; these striking buildings also add a touch of romance to coastal scenes and shine a light onto our maritime history.