Cooper's Lighthouse
As far as we know it is the only lighthouse in the central Indiana area...
"Proving once again.. there is more than corn in Indiana" as the old saying goes.
Cooper's LightCoopers' lighthouse came to light after a member of the Muncie Sailing Club
Fred Bedwell, was on a lake Michigan sail outing with a very good friend of his, Charles W. Cooper. Cooper did not own a sailboat but was an avid outdoorsman experiencing many outdoor activities such as big game hunting, gold mining, a hunting guide in Alaska, etc. While on this sail, and near the end of his life, Cooper expressed many times that of all his lifelong experiences he admitted he enjoyed sailing the best. Not to long after this Cooper fell ill and eventually passed away. Cooper was Fred Bedwells' first mate on this voyage. It must be stressed that Cooper lived a life of experiencing the outdoors and all it had to offer and to finally express his love for sailing over all his other experiences was quite moving as well as impressive.

Bedwell was moved by Coopers' expression for sailing, topping the list of his many experiences, and began the eventual planning and completion of the "Coopers Lighthouse" in memory of Charles W. Cooper. Cooper passed away in 1997. You can see a photo of the construction stage... Click Here

The lighthouse was started and completed in 1997. It is located in Central Indiana built on the grounds of the Muncie Sailing Club of Muncie Indiana. The body of water it's on is the Prairie Creek reservoir. The lake is three and one half miles long and serves as a water supply for the City of Muncie Indiana.

The lake is also used by avid boaters with slips available for rent. The lighthouse is functional year round and would be considered a "Flashing" type approximately every 1-1/2 seconds.

Inside the small window on the front of the light house there is a silhouette of a sailors head wearing a greek sailing cap and smoking a pipe. The inside of the lighthouse is dimly lit to reveal the silhouette. This is the keeper of the lighthouse on watch. When departing/returning to port at the club you can see the silhouette from the water.

The funding for the lighthouse was raised by members of the Muncie Sailing Club. Each year a "Lighthouse Dance" is held at the Sailing Club honoring all 1st mates.


Some other wonderful views of the lighthouse...
Reflecting in the waters of Prairie Creek Reservoir
A very scenic view of the lighthouse & surrounding waters
Fred Bedwell (Left) & Roger Ockomon (Right) standing in front of the lighthouse.
Muncie Sailing Club 1999 Board Members
Commodore - Jerry Marlatt
Vice-Commodore - Fred Bedwell
Treasurer - John McCabe
Secretary - Roger Ockomon
Newsletter - Roger Ockomon
Harbormaster - Evans Hollandsworth
House - Elaine Cotner
Grounds - Bob Randall
Boats & Motors - Mike Griffey
Racing - Byvonda Bauer-Thomas
Asst.Harbormaster - Fred Lewis
Past Commodore - Steve Scherschel
Past Harbormaster - Simon Spencer
Board Members - Karla Kirby
                          - Rich Sowatsky
                          - Jack Ragan