Kenosha Light
 Kenosha (Southport) lighthouse (NRHP) | |
  | |
| Location | Simmons Island, Kenosha, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°35′22″N 87°48′57″W / 42.58944°N 87.81583°WCoordinates: 42°35′22″N 87°48′57″W / 42.58944°N 87.81583°W |
| Year first constructed | 1866 |
| Year first lit | 1866 |
| Automated | 1996 |
| Deactivated | 1906-1996 |
| Foundation | Stone |
| Construction | Milwaukee "Cream City brick" w/Mortar coat[1] |
| Tower shape | Conical |
| Markings / pattern | natural, green lantern |
| Height | 55 feet (17 m) |
| Focal height | 76 feet (23 m)[2] |
| Original lens | Fourth order Fresnel lens |
| Current lens | 12 in (300 mm) Tideland Signal ML-300 acrylic plastic lens |
| ARLHS number | USA-912 |
| USCG number | |
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Kenosha Light Station | |
| Location | 5117 Fourth Ave., Kenosha, Wisconsin |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 90000995[3] |
| Added to NRHP | June 28, 1990 |
Kenosha Light (also called Southport Light) is a lighthouse located near Kenosha in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, USA.
History
Tower
Also known as the "Old Kenosha Light", it was replaced by the Kenosha North Pier Light in 1906.[4] The keeper's house continued to be used for many years, however.[5]
The light is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the Kenosha Light Station, Reference #90000995. It has been an active aid to navigation since 1996, but is not listed in Volume VII United States Coast Guard light list. The lantern room was removed in 1913 but replicated in 1994. The Fresnel lens was replaced by a 300 mm Tidaland Signal plastic lens – a medium range lens commonly used on the Great Lakes.[6]
A historical marker in front of the lighthouse reads:
- Built by the federal government in 1866, the Kenosha Lighthouse replaces two other lighthouses constructed at this site in 1848? and 1858?. Originally designated a coast and harbor light for Southport, now Kenosha, Wisconsin provided the first navigational illumination a mariner would see upon entering Wisconsin from the Chicago area. Standing 55 feet (17 m) tall and situated on a hill, the lighthouse projected light from 74 feet (23 m) above lake level. The tower is built of yellow Milwaukee Cream City brick and is conical in shape. Originally the lighthouse contained a fourth order Fresnel lens fueled by kerosene with a fixed?-white light which varied by flashes. Officially discontinued in 1906, the lantern room was later removed and replaced by a 25-foot (7.6 m) tripod mast for displaying storm warning flags and lights. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, the lighthouse has been restored and holds an automated electric light. (1996)[7]
Current status and directions
The building is currently maintained by the City of Kenosha and the Kenosha County Historical Society. It is also on the State List/Inventory, having been listed in 1975.[8]
The keeper's house is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays during the tourist season. The tower is open for climbers many weekends of the summer.[9]
The lighthouse can be seen from Kenosha near the vicinity of 50th Street and 4th Avenue.[10]
See also
- Kenosha North Pier Lighthouse - Nearby lighthouse
References
- ↑ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Wisconsin". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
- ↑ Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes, database.".
- ↑ Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- ↑ Wobser, David, Kenosha North Pier Head Light, boatnerd.com.
- ↑ Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Southport Lighthouse: Simmons Island, Kenosha, Wisconsin.
- ↑ Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, 300 mm. Tideland Signal acrylic lens.
- ↑ Lighthouse Friends, Kenosha Southport Light.
- ↑ National Park Service, Maritime History Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin - Kenosha Southport Light.
- ↑ Kenosha History Center events.
- ↑ Wobser, David, Milwaukee Kenosha Southport Light, boatnerd.com.
Specialized Additional reading
- 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".
- 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
2006 photo of Kenosha Southport Lighthouse after renovations
- Anderson, Kraig, Lighthouse friends, Kenosha Southport Light article.
- Kenosha History Center.
- National Park Service Maritime History Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin - Kenosha Southport Light.
- Satellite view, Southport Lighthouse, Google earth.
- Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Southport Lighthouse: Simmons Island, Kenosha, Wisconsin.
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Eastern Wisconsin". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
- Wobser, David, Milwaukee Kenosha Southport Light, boatnerd.com.
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