Wisconsin - Wind Point Lighthouse

The Wind Point Lighthouse is located at Wind Point, near Racine, WI. It was built in 1880 by the Lighthouse Service. The tower stands 112 ft high and has 144 iron steps to the lantern room. A kerosene "Aladdin's" lamp supplied the light until 1924 at which time it was replaced by an electrified lamp. The light was manned by a lighthouse keeper and two assistants, who, along with their families, lived in the building adjacent to the tower.
In 1964 the Coast Guard replaced the lens with a fully automated system. The foghorn was no longer needed with the use of radar on ships so it was dismantled. The light consist of a 1,000 watt bulb and a reflector which magnified the light to 2 million candlepower. The beam of light is visible for 19 miles, and the rotation is timed so that it flashes every 20 seconds. The light is activated by timers and photo-electric cells, which turns it on 30 minutes before sunset and off 30 minutes after sunrise, or whenever visibility is less than 5 miles.
Once the light became automated the Coast Guard sealed the tower. No one was permitted inside the lighthouse at the time of my visit in 1998, however, visitors were welcome to walk around the grounds.