Fairport Harbor

Fairport Harbor is a small village in Lake County, Ohio. It is located along Lake Erie and at the mouth of the Grand River, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from Kirtland, Ohio.
Fairport Harbor
A lighthouse and two-story brick building stand atop a grassy hill.
This site is not owned or operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sains. The marker is on a public street and is accessible 24-hours a day.
Physical Address
129 2nd St
Fairport Harbor, Ohio 44077
USA
View Map

Physical Address

129 2nd St
Fairport Harbor, Ohio 44077
USA
View Map
Services
Parking
Picnic Area
Cell Service

Services

Parking
Picnic Area
Cell Service
Special Project Church History Kirtland Lake Erie Lighthouse
"The plaque on a monument discussing the importance of Fairport Harbor in Latter-day Saint history. Text reads: ""FAIRPORT IS AN EXCELLENT HARBOR, AND AFFORDS A SAFE MOORAGE FOR SHIPPING"" - SO WROTE OLIVER COWDERY, ONE OF THE FIRST LATTER - DAY SAINT MISSIONARIES TO BRING THE MESSAGE OF THE RESTORED GOSPEL TO THE KIRTLAND REGION. FAIRPORT HARBOR PLAYED A TRANSITIONAL ROLE DURING THE 1830s FOR MANY MORMON MIGRANTS, WHO BELIEVED THEY WERE OBEYING DIVINE INSTRUCTION THAT COUNSELED THEM TO ""GO TO THE OHIO."" HUNDREDS OF CONVERTS PASSED. THROUGH THIS HARBOR ON THEIR WAY TO AND FROM THE TOWN OF KIRTLAND, WHICH LAY JUST TWELVE MILES SOUTHWEST. MANY SAINTS WERE GUIDED BY FAIRPORT'S BEACONS OF LIGHT, WRICH SHONE UPON THE WATERS OF LAKE ERIE. FOR THOSE INCOMING SAINTS, THE FAIRPORT LIGHTHOUSE SIGNALED A NEW RAY OF HOPE, AND FOR THOSE MISSIONARIES EMBARKING FROM HER BANKS, NEW PATHS TO TRAVEL IN THE QUEST FOR MORE CONVERTS TO MORMONISM. THIS WAS A MEANINGFUL PLACE OF COMINGS AND SOINGS. FROM HERE, SIGNIFICANT LATTER-DAY SAINT MISSIONS WERE LAUNCHED. INCLUDING THE FIRST MISSION OF THE QUORUM OF THE TWELVE (1835). AND ALSO THE FIRST MISSION OF THE CHURCH TO ENGLAND (1837). IT WAS ALSO WHERE JOSEPH SMITH GREETED HIS NINETY-THREE-YEAR-OLD GRANDMOTHER, WHO HAD TRAVELED HUNDREDS OF MILES TO SEE HER FAMILY. HERE, LATTER-DAY SAINT FAMILIES WERE CHARGED WITH EMOTION AS THEY GREETED LOVED ONES AND ALSO BID THEM FAREWELL, KNOWING THAT IT WOULD BE MANY MONTHS BEFORE THEY WOULD ONCE AGAIN EMBRACE. FAIRPORT WAS ALSO A PLACE OF ACTIVE COMMERCE THAT INFLUENCED THE DAILY LIFE OF THE SAINTS IN THIS AREA. FROM HERE, NEWEL K. WHITNEY, A MORMON MERCHANT, SHIPPED MANY CASKS OF ASHES FROM HIS KIRTLAND ASHERY TO THE EAST. IN 1847, FAIRPORT REACHED A PEAK IN COMMERCIAL PROSPERITY, WITNESSING NEARLY THREE THOUSAND VESSELS COMING IN AND OUT OF HER HARBOR: YET BY THIS TIME THE SAINTS HAD LEFT THE REGION AND IN THE SAME YEAR HAD BEGUN SETTLING IN THE SAT LAKE VALLEY. FUNDED BY THE MORMOR HISTORIC SITES FOUNDATION"
Many Saints who traveled to Ohio from western New York made their way through Fairport Harbor. Later, as Saints left on missions from Kirtland, several passed through Fairport Harbor en route to preach in areas north and east of Kirtland. When Joseph Smith’s grandmother Mary Duty Smith came to visit her family in Ohio, she was greeted by her prophet grandson at Fairport Harbor.

Fairport Harbor provided the economy of northeast Ohio with a dedicated connection to the markets of the more established East. From this port, ships could ply the waters of Lake Erie to Buffalo, the Erie Canal, and eventually to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, DC, and New York City. Local merchants, including Joseph Smith and Newel K. Whitney, sent and received goods through Fairport Harbor. For example, Whitney would have received goods to sell in his store and shipped casks of ash from the Kirtland Ashery through Fairport Harbor.

Today, a marker stands near the front of the Marine Museum and Lighthouse in Fairport Harbor. An exhibit inside the Marine Museum entitled “Fairport Harbor: Gateway to the Gathering” highlights the role of Fairport Harbor in the lives of the Saints while in Kirtland.


What to Expect


Fairport Harbor is a small town with a rich history. A marker discussing the importance of this place to Latter-day Saints can be found on the northwest corner of 2nd and High Streets.

Parking

  • Parking is available on the north side of 2nd Street near the marker.
    • There is no designated accessible parking.
  • There is a large parking lot at the Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park at the north end of High Street.
    • There is designated accessible parking here. The size of this parking lot will be able to accommodate visitors’ vehicles with accessibility needs. However, this parking lot is some distance from the marker and will require traversing a fairly steep and substantial hill.

Mobility Accessibility


Exterior

  • City sidewalks from the marker have ADA-compliant curbs.
  • The sidewalks from the marker to the park, which is a block away, are fairly steep.

Terrain and Flooring


Exterior

  • Street: asphalt (fair condition); steep
  • Sidewalk: concrete (fair condition); steep

Seating

  • Benches and picnic areas are available in the park.
Picnic areas and restrooms are available at the Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park. Pavilions cannot be reserved ahead of time. See the park website for more details.
Fairport Harbor
A lighthouse and two-story brick building stand atop a grassy hill.
This site is not owned or operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sains. The marker is on a public street and is accessible 24-hours a day.
Physical Address
129 2nd St
Fairport Harbor, Ohio 44077
USA
View Map

Physical Address

129 2nd St
Fairport Harbor, Ohio 44077
USA
View Map
Services
Parking
Picnic Area
Cell Service

Services

Parking
Picnic Area
Cell Service
Last Updated On Mar 07, 2025