A Wisconsin Beauty - Rawley Point Lighthouse

The Rawley Point Lighthouse, also known as the Twin River Point, 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 Twin Rivers Point. The original lighthouse had a brick tower that stood 100-feet 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 iron tower. In 1894 the top portion of that tower was demolished and the remaining shorter tower, with cone shaped roof, became part of the keeper's quarters in 1895. One result is a curious and unique round living room which remains inside the dwelling. A fire damaged the keeper's quarters in 1962.

The current eight sided pyramidal erector style lighthouse is the only one of this type on the Great Lakes. It stands 111-feet high and is 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 iron stairway containing 132-steps with support supplied by a maze of exterior steel frames. There's 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 continued in use until 1952 when a piece of the lens broke and it 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, however, the tower and quarters were off limits to the public. The Coast Guard utilized the quarters for housing and as a military recreation cottage