Pottawatomie Lighthouse, also known as the Rock Island Light, is a lighthouse in Rock Island State Park, on Rock Island in Door County, Wisconsin. Lit in 1836, it is the oldest light station in Wisconsin and on Lake Michigan. It was served by civilian light keepers from 1836 to 1946, at which point it was automated.[8]
 Potawatomi Lighthouse 2004 | |
 | |
| Location | Rock Island, Door County, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°25′39″N 86°49′41″W / 45.42750°N 86.82806°W[1][2] |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1836  |
| Foundation | Stone |
| Construction | Limestone |
| Automated | 1966 |
| Height | 41 feet (12 m)[3] |
| Shape | Square, integral with keeper house[6] |
| Markings | natural with black lantern |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1836 |
| Deactivated | 1988 |
| Focal height | 159 feet (48 m)[4] |
| Lens | Fresnel lens |
| Range | 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi)[1] |
| Characteristic | Fl W 4s 159 Light is obscured from 275° to 020° by dense foliage[5] |
Pottawatomie Lighthouse | |
| Nearest city | Washington Island, Wisconsin |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000074[7] |
| Added to NRHP | April 20, 1979 |
History
editThe first lighthouse on the spot was a 1.5-story house and 30-foot (9.1 m) detached tower built in 1836. Due to poor construction, it was replaced by the existing lighthouse in 1858. The original tower and dwelling were demolished in subsequent years. The current building was first lit in 1858 and continued as an active aid to navigation until 1988, when it was replaced with a modern skeletal tower and automated system.[9]
It is the oldest light station in Door County,[10] which has the most lighthouses of any Wisconsin county.[11]
The lighthouse was restored by the Friends of Rock Island Lighthouse.[11] It is open for tours during the summer as the Pottawatomie Lighthouse Museum. The lighthouse has been restored to a state illustrating its appearance circa 1909–1913. The restoration was performed with the help from the non-profit Friends Of Rock Island State Park.[12] It now serves as a museum that is open for tours daily from Memorial Day to Columbus Day 10am to 4pm.
The lighthouse was listed as Pottawatomie Lighthouse in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, as reference #79000074. The fresnel lens, lost after the lighthouse was shut down in the late 1980s, was replaced by a plexiglass copy in 1999.
The original (1836) privy still stands on the grounds and is the oldest structure in Door County.
Gallery
edit-
The interior has been historically restored. -
USCG archive photo -
In 1883
References
edit- ^ a b Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2014.
- ^ "Pottawatomie Lighthouse". Lighthouse Resources: Historic Lighthouses & Light Stations. United States Coast Guard. October 7, 2019.
- ^ Pepper, Terry. "Database of Tower Heights". Seeing the Light. Terry Pepper. Archived from the original on September 18, 2000. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- ^ Pepper, Terry. "Database of Focal Heights". Seeing the Light. Terry Pepper. Archived from the original on August 30, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- ^ Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
- ^ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Wisconsin". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Karges, Steven (2000). Keepers of the Lights. Ellison Bay, WI: Wm Caxton Ltd. pp. 11–49. ISBN 0940473399.
- ^ Wardius, Ken; Wardius, Barb (2000). Wisconsin Lighthouses: A Photographic & Historical Guide. Big Earth Publishing. pp. 60–61. ISBN 1-879483-60-2.
- ^ "Door County Maritime Museum, Pottawatomie Lighthouse (Rock Island) history". Archived from the original on September 1, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- ^ a b Wobser, David. "Pottawatomie (Rock Island) Light". Boatnerd. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019.
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Eastern Wisconsin". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Further reading
edit- Havighurst, Walter (1943). The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes. Macmillan Publishers.
- Oleszewski, Wes (1998). Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses. Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios. ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
- Olson, William H. (October 2009). "Pottawatomie Lantern Room Restored". Lighthouse Digest. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011.
- Pepper, Terry. "Pottawatomie (Rock Island) Lighthouse, Wisconsin". Seeing the Light. Terry Pepper. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020.
- Pepper, Terry. "Lighthouses on the Western Great Lakes". Seeing the Light. Terry Pepper. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022.
- Pottawatomie Light History, Friends of Rock Island State Park.
- Sapulski, Wayne S. (2001). Lighthouses of Lake Michigan: Past and Present. Fowlerville, Michigan: Wilderness Adventure Books. ISBN 978-0-923568-47-4.
- Sweet, Tim (February 2000). "Lighting the Outer Limits". Wisconsin Natural Resources. Archived from the original on August 22, 2010.
- Wright, Larry; Wright, Patricia (2006). Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia. Erin, Ontario: Boston Mills Press. ISBN 1-55046-399-3.
External links
edit
- Pottawatomie Light on the World List of Lights
- Friends of Rock Island State Park - official site
- Door County lighthouses at Door County Maritime Museum (Archived July 29, 2012)
- NPS Inventory of Historic Light Stations (Archived August 25, 2012)
- Lighthouse friends
- Lighthouse Docent Documentary produced by Wisconsin Public Television