South Haven’s Second Lighthouse Keeper To Be Honored This Week

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Water Street in South Haven will have an honorary name added to it this week. The city council recently gave the go-ahead to name the street Captain Donahue Drive for Civil War Captain James Donahue. After losing a leg in the war, he was hired as South Haven’s second lighthouse keeper at the age of 32 in 1874. Among the at least 15 lives he’s credited with saving were his two sons, and in some of those rescues, he dove into the water personally to pull someone to safety. The city will hold a ceremony at 3 p.m. tomorrow at the intersection of Water and Kalamazoo streets at the top of the hill to unveil the new signs. Donahue died in 1917 and is buried at South Haven’s Lakeview Cemetery. Friday’s ceremony is open to the public.