Harriet Colfax stood watch over Michigan City for 43 years, maintaining meticulous records and establishing a reputation for efficiency. Harriet reluctantly accepted retirement at the age of 80. Workers remodeled the original lighthous and installed an improved fog signal. The moved the lantern from the lighthouse to the tower on the pier, where it is located today. But there wasn't room for a keeper's dwelling out on the pier, so a walkway was installed connecting the lighthouse to the shore.