The Kenosha North Pier Light, also known as the Kenosha North Pierhead Light, is a lighthouse located in Kenosha, Wisconsin. "A typical 'Lake Michigan red tower'",[4] it is a sibling to the Milwaukee Pierhead Light.[5] This light was built in 1906 as a replacement of the old Kenosha Light Station.[4] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.[6]
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| Location | Kenosha, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°35′19.7″N 87°48′30.83″W / 42.588806°N 87.8085639°W[1] |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1906 |
| Foundation | Concrete pier |
| Construction | Cast iron |
| Height | 50 feet (15 m) |
| Shape | Frustum of a cone |
| Markings | Red, black lantern and parapet |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place  |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1906 |
| Focal height | 50 feet (15 m) |
| Lens | Fourth-order Fresnel lens (original), 9.8-inch (250 mm) Tideland Signal acrylic optic Fresnel lens[2] (current) |
| Range | 11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi) |
| Characteristic | Red, Isophase, 6 sec[1] |
Kenosha North Pierhead Light | |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built by | Office of the Lighthouse; Superintendent, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| MPS | Light Stations of the United States MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 08000545[3] |
| Added to NRHP | June 24, 2008 |
History
editThe station was established in 1856.[5] This pierhead light is one of a succession of lighthouses in this location, which were needed as the structures were destroyed by natural processes, or became obsolete as the piers were greatly extended.[2]
The current lighthouse was built in 1906. It stands 50 feet tall, with a gently tapered shape, topped with a cylindrical lantern. The walls of the tower are cast iron plates. Inside the tower, the first story is 12 feet six inches in diameter. From the first story, a curving cast iron stairway ascends to the second story. The third story contains meteorological equipment which is connected to the lantern above. A steel ladder leads to a trapdoor in the ceiling. The fourth story is the lantern room, which contains a modern acrylic beacon.[7][8]
It currently is painted red, but the lighthouse also has been painted white in the past.[2] The adjacent south pier and breakwater also had lighthouses, but now have cylindrical navigational lights. These included fog signal buildings and elevated iron catwalks, all of which have been removed.[2]
In June 2008, the Kenosha Pierhead Lighthouse was deemed "excess" by the Coast Guard. Pursuant to the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, it was offered at no cost to eligible entities, including federal, state and local agencies, non-profit corporations, educational agencies, or community development organizations. However, none of these entities offered to take responsibility for the lighthouse.[9]
In 2011, the excess property was put up for auction. It was purchased by Heather McGee and John Burhani, who subsequently created "Kenosha Lighthouse Studio".[10] Murals have since been painted on the lighthouse[11] and security cameras and lights were installed in 2016 to dissuade vandalism.[12]
Directions
editIn Kenosha, cross the bridge to the island on 50th Street and follow the road down to the beach at Simmons Island. From the beach, one can walk on the pier. The light is accessible for exterior inspection, but not open to the public.[4]
See also
edit- Kenosha Light Station - Near the north pier, on Simmons Island
References
edit- ^ a b Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2014.
- ^ a b c d Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Kenosha Pierhead & Breakwater Lights.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ a b c Wobser, David, Kenosha North Pier Head Light Archived 2008-09-07 at the Wayback Machine, Boatnerd
- ^ a b Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Eastern Wisconsin". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Kenosha North Pierhead Light". National Park Service. Retrieved January 24, 2021. With accompanying pictures
- ^ Daniel Koski-Karell; Jayne Aaron; Daniel Hart (2008-02-20). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Kenosha North Pierhead Light". National Park Service. Retrieved 2018-06-07. With 7 photos.
- ^ "Kenosha North Pierhead Light". Wisconsin Historic Society. January 2012. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
- ^ Lighthouse friends article.
- ^ "Home". Kenosha Lighthouse Studio. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ "Murals". Kenosha Lighthouse Studio. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ "Lighthouse Info". Kenosha Lighthouse Studio. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
Further reading
edit- Havighurst, Walter (1943) The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes, Macmillan Publishers.
- Oleszewski, Wes, Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
- Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes". Archived from the original on 2008-01-30.
- Sapulski, Wayne S., (2001) Lighthouses of Lake Michigan: Past and Present (Paperback) (Fowlerville: Wilderness Adventure Books) ISBN 0-923568-47-6; ISBN 978-0-923568-47-4.
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3.
External links
edit
Media related to Kenosha North Pier Light at Wikimedia Commons
- Kenosha History Center.
- Lighthouse friends article.
- Satellite view, North Pier Lighthouse at Google earth.
- kenoshalighthousestudio.com
- Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Kenosha Pierhead & Breakwater Lights.
- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Wisconsin". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
- Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
- Wobser, David, Kenosha North Pier Head Light Archived 2008-09-07 at the Wayback Machine, Boatnerd