The Rock of Ages Lighthouse near Windigo in the Isle Royale National Park will receive $46,000, and the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse near Eagle Harbor in the northwestern U.P. will receive $60,000, Whitmer said in a joint news release with Secretary of State Joceyln Benson. Both lighthouses overlook the shores of Lake Superior.

The Rock of Ages Lighthouse Preservation Society must match $23,000 and the Keweenaw County Historical Society must match $39,000 to receive the grants through the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program.

The grant program is funded through the sale of Save Our Lights license plates available from the Michigan Secretary of State and is administered by the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office.

The 132-foot-tall Rock of Ages Lighthouse will get a thorough cleaning and painting of its exterior, something last done in 1985.

Courtesy Photo Rock of Ages Lighthouse is seen in this undated photo provided by the Rock of Ages Lighthouse Preservation Society through Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office.

“Cracking, missing vent covers, and heavy lichen growth on the exterior masonry of Rock of Ages Lighthouse are causing water infiltration that threatens to halt interior restoration efforts,” Rock of Ages Lighthouse Preservation Society Executive Director David Gerth said in a statement. “This project marks a huge step toward our goal of opening the lighthouse to the public in the future.”

At the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse, crews will replace deteriorated brick and repair the tower interior, roof, and deck and lantern room, among other work.

“This funding will help us preserve and maintain our 150-plus-year old lighthouse in a manner that is historically correct,” Keweenaw County Historical Society President Mel Jones said in a statement.

To date, the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office has awarded nearly $2.9 million in matching funds to help rehabilitate and preserve lighthouses, according to the news release.

“The historic lighthouses lining our freshwater shoreline — the longest in the world — are part of the splendor of Pure Michigan,” Whitmer said in a statement. “I am proud that we are making an investment today to preserve these structures, reminding us of our past and encouraging us to move towards the light.”

With more than 120 lighthouses along Michigan’s 3,200 miles of shoreline, Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state, according to the news release.