The Dunkirk Lighthouse. Image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons

When it comes to Point Gratiot in Dunkirk, New York, many people just see it as a beach — to go swimming, picnicking and have cute dates to watch the sunset.

But one thing often gets overlooked in the college area, and that is the lighthouse.

Something interesting happened there that not that many people, other than locals, know about.

It was the place where the first shots happened during the War of 1812.

OK, maybe that was a little fib, but it’s not totally “fake news.”

The first shots really did happen there — it was only just the first shots on Lake Erie, the over 200-mile-long Great Lake that touches four states and part of Canada.

And it truly was the first shots rang out on Sept. 26, 1812, when British soldiers tried to capture a barge loaded with salt near the shore.

Just not the lighthouse you see today, that was built in 1875, with the old one being built in 1827. There was no lighthouse during the 1812. The first shots occurred at the harbor near where the current lighthouse stands.

A local woman named “Window Cole” alerted nearby militia, then the fighting broke out. There is no exact number of deaths.

“Window Cole,” whose real name is Celea Cole, is remembered as a hero, who is even said to have melted her own belongings to create bullets for the soldiers.

Today, you can visit the lighthouse and learn all about what took place

Note: Fun Fact Monday, is a new experiment to try and brighten up your day!