Wisconsin - Calumet Harbor Lighthouse

The Calumet Harbor Lighthouse is located on Lake Winnebago, Pipe, WI. Originally it was built as a water tower for the Fdelac Table Factory. Then in 1936 it was moved to Calumet Harbor and erected by the federally funded Water Works in Columbia, and also for use as a navigational aid. The tower and light actually set in Columbia Park. Slow deterioration took its toll and in the early 1980s the wooden staircase and observation decks were removed and the structural steel frame was left standing. The tower was restored in 1992 through joint efforts of the Columbia Park Tower Fund and Fond du lac County. The restored tower was dedicated on 2 Aug 1992. It affords a panoramic view of Lake Winnebago. At the time of my visit in 2002, this was an active light.

Wisconsin - Sheboygan Breakwater Light

This light is located at Sheboygan, WI. The name means "Where the river disappears under the ground." There is a history of multiple lighthouses built in this harbor area. In 1839 the first lighthouse to serve the harbor was built on what was known as North Sheboygan Point. That light stood for two decades before being replaced in 1860 by a newer version. At the beginning of Dec 1873 a lighthouse was built on the north pier of the harbor. A fire engulfed that light in March 1880, and three months later a new building replaced the burned out structure. Harbor improvements and an extension of the harbor pier closely followed the breakwater light. Originally this light was a cone shaped metal tower with a diameter of 12 1/2 feet at its base. It was equipped with a cast iron lantern and was slightly more than 50 feet tall. The light was rebuilt and moved several times. The present light was a skeletal steel pier-head tower constructed off site and then placed here circa 1915. This was the typical pier-head style light, topped with a circular parapet and lantern room. At the time of my visit in 2002, it was not known when or why the lantern room was removed. The light tower now stands 50 feet tall and has a plastic lens but no lantern room. This was an active light at the time of my visit.

Wisconsin - Manitowock Breakwater Lighthouse

This lighthouse is located at the mouth of the Manitowock River at Manitowock, WI. Some people say it reminds them of a wedding cake. The first light here was built in 1895. This one was built in 1918 and constructed of concrete. The light tower itself is erected atop a single story structure which rises out of a lower level fog signal building that in turn is mounted on a massive crib. All of this stands 52 feet tall above Lake Michigan. If you click on the picture you can see more detail of the tower. In 1971 the light was automated. At the time of my visit in 2002 this lighthouse was active and on an active Coast Guard facility, however the lighthouse was not open to the public.

Wisconsin - Two Rivers Light

This is the Two Rivers (North Pierhead) Light after being relocated to the Rogers Street Fishing Village Museum at Two Rivers, WI. This light was extinguished in 1969. At the time of my visit in 2002, only the top 15 feet of the tower was from the actual lighthouse that stood at North Pierhead. The portion of this tower under that 15 feet was built as a display stand for the light.

Wisconsin - Eagle Bluff Lighthouse

This lighthouse is located in Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek, WI. It was constructed of cream city brick at a cost of $12,000. The area was a wilderness at the time it was built and the building materials were brought in by boat from Detroit and Milwaukee, and landed on the north shore of the Lighthouse Bay (now Tennyson Bay). The light tower is 43 feet tall, enabling the light to shine 76 feet above the bay. The tower was equipped with a "Third and a half order" Fresnel Lens. Eagle Bluff's light could be seen for up to 16 miles. Then in 1918 the original lens was replaced with a Fifth Order Fresnel Lens. The light was automated in 1926, first with acetylene gas then later with batteries, and finally with solar power. There was no electricity at Eagle Bluff. The next 34 years saw the automated light shining over the bay, but the keeper's house was dark, mostly empty, and gradually it deteriorated from lack of use and interest. At the time of my visit in 2002, the lens remained in the lantern tower although no longer operational.

Restoration of Eagle Bluff:  In 1960 the Door County Historical Society selected Eagle Bluff Lighthouse to research, restore, completely furnish and open as a museum. It is thought that theirs was the first lighthouse restoration in the county. The restoration took 4 years. Volunteers worked faithfully, winter and summer, returning the house to its original floor plan including removal of additions, partitions, and as much as 80 coats of government issued paint. The house was then furnished with choice examples of furniture and artifacts of the period.

One of the Lighthouse Keepers from 1883-1918 was William Duclon, his wife Julia, and their 7 sons. Members of the Duclon family participated in the restoration by contributing photos, documents, artifacts, and information on the house. The most important family member involved in the restoration was Walter Duclon, the youngest of the Duclon boys, who was just over 1 year old when his family moved to this lonely outpost back in 1883. Although he was nearly 80 years old during the restoration, Walter Duclon was reported to be most helpful by recalling in great detail how the house was furnished. He was even able to recover some of the original artifacts. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

The year 2001 marked the 37th continuous year that the Historical Society had operated the lighthouse. The lighthouse has a kitchen, dining and living room, formal parlor, music room, master bedroom plus a hallway and formal entrance on the Bay side. The hallway leads to the attached tower where the cast iron filigree stairs circle upward to the second floor of the home and on up to the lantern room. On the second floor is a small room that had several different uses and the large bedroom at the end of the hall that housed all 7 of the boys in their youth.

Wisconsin -Rawley Point Lighthouse

The Rawley Point Lighthouse, also known as the Twin River Point Lighthouse, is located at Two Rivers, WI. It's not clear exactly when a lighthouse was first constructed here. Records indicate the first lighthouse in this area was built in 1853 at the Twin Rivers Point. The original had a brick tower that stood 100feet tall and was attached to the keeper's dwelling by a hallway. The remains of the original circular tower can be seen at the right side of the big house, behind the tree and in front of the metal tower. In 1894 the top portion of the brick tower was demolished and the remaining shorter tower with the cone shape roof became part of the keeper's quarters in 1895. One result is a curious round living room that remains inside the dwelling. A fire damaged the keeper's quarters in 1962.

The current eight sided pyramidal erector style lighthouse, the only one of this type on the Great Lakes, stands 111 feet, the second tallest lighthouse in WI. It is an alteration and expansion of a lighthouse relocated from the Chicago River Light-station in 1893 after the World's Fair. The light tower has a central cylinder iron stair containing 132 steps with support supplied by a maze of exterior steel frames. There is a double-decked set of watch-rooms with ornate fencing, placed one atop the other, below the lantern room. These dual watch-rooms are another unique feature among WI lights. The light tower was constructed next to the two and a half story keeper's dwelling. In 1920 the light was electrified. The original third-order lens was in use until 1952 when a piece of the lens broke and the lens was replaced with the current twin-bull's eye rotating beacon which can be seen for 28 miles. At the time of my visit here in 2002, this was an active lighthouse, but the tower and quarters were off limits to the public. The Coast Guard utilized the quarters for housing and as a military recreation cottage.

Wisconsin - Pilot Island Lighthouse

The Pilot Island Lighthouse is located north of Gills Rock, WI. The first light station in this strait was actually built in 1848 on Plum Island, 2 miles to the west, and was later re-built on Pilot Island. A two story cream city brick residence was built with a 37 ft tower. Undersized with the light it was relocated here to Pilot Island circa 1873 and the height of the original tower was increased to 46 ft.
Fog envelopes Pilot Island for dozens of days during the shipping season and the fog signal at this lighthouse was the loudest on the Great Lakes. It could be heard for more than 12 miles. The roar of the fog horn was so terrible, the eggs laid by the keeper's chickens would not hatch.
Power for this lighthouse in the middle 1950's was provided by a group of batteries powered by twin generators. Propane fueled a stove and refrigerator at times. An item of relative luxury, a television was also available.
At the time of my visit in 2002, hundreds of birds could be seen on the island as well as their feces on top of the lighthouse. The feces smell radiated through the air as our boat approached the lighthouse. Our captain advised everyone we would not stop at the lighthouse, and no one objected to his announcement.

Wisconsin - Plum Island Range Lights

The Plum Island Range Lights are located north of Gills Rock, WI in the middle of the treacherous Death's Door Passage. Michigan Lake links Green Bay between the end of the main Door Peninsula and Washington Island.
The original Plum Island Lighthouse was built in 1848, but was later moved to Pilot Island.
The Plum Island Range Lights were constructed in 1895. The lights are located on the southern end of the island. The front range light is on the east (bottom picture), and the rear range light is about a third of a mile to the west. The rear range light consist of a tubular and skeletal shaped tower 65 feet tall and capped with a red lantern top and ventilator ball that houses a fourth order Fresnel lens with a fixed red beam. A spacious two story keeper's dwelling and a fog signal building stand nearby (top picture). The original front range light was a wooden tower and was close to the beach. It harbored a smaller sixth order Fresnel lens. A modern, metal skeletal forty foot tower replaced the wooden tower in the mid 60's (bottom picture). The range lights display a metal banner with red stripes on either side of a middle white stripe to serve as a day marker. The day marker cannot be seen clearly in the top picture, but can be seen in the middle picture at left side of the flag staff tip. Click on the picture to enlarge it and the day marker is easier to see.
Plum Island was also home to a Lifesaving Station (bottom picture).
At the time of my visit in 2002, the Coast Guard considered the Plum Island Lights as surplus property, and were considering the State would take over the island as a possible new State Park.

Wisconsin - North Point Lighthouse

The North Point Lighthouse is the third lighthouse to be built in Milwaukee, WI. The first lighthouse was erected in 1838, however, it was not located where it could provide proper navigational assistance. It was replaced in 1855 by a 28 ft tower built on a 56 ft bluff overlooking the lake and located approximately 100 ft East of the present lighthouse. Eventually erosion forced rebuilding it, so in 1887 a new lighthouse tower was completed at a height of 39 feet. It was built entirely of bolted cast iron sections. Then, in 1912 a steel plate lower section was built and the cast iron tower placed on top as shown above. This raised the tower to a height of 74 ft and the light to a new height of 160 ft above the lake. This lighthouse operated until 1994 when it was deactivated. I visited this lighthouse in 1998, but it was not open to the public the day of my visit. It is located on N. Wahl Ave in Lake Park, Milwaukee, WI.

Wisconsin - Milwaukee Pierhead Lighthouse

The Milwaukee Pierhead Lighthouse was built in 1906 and is located in the Milwaukee Harbor. It marks the entrance to access the Milwaukee and Kinnickinnic Rivers. At the time of my visit in 1998 the lighthouse was closed to the public. Although access to the pier was permitted I chose not to pursue the traffic for a walk on the pier.