Pottawatomie Light

Pottawatomie Lighthouse, also known as the Rock Island Light, is located 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 the 1940s, at which point it was taken over by the US Coast Guard.

Pottawatomie Light
Potawatomi Lighthouse 2004
LocationRock Island, Door County, Wisconsin
Coordinates45°25′39″N 86°49′41″W[1]
Year first lit1836
Automated1966
Deactivated1988
FoundationStone
ConstructionLimestone
Tower shapeSquare, integral with keeper house[2]
Markings / patternnatural with black lantern
Tower height41 feet (12 m)[3]
Focal height159 feet (48 m)[4]
Original lensFresnel lens
Range7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi)[1]
CharacteristicFl W 4s 159 Light is obscured from 275° to 020° by dense foliage[5]
ARLHS numberUSA-664[6][7]
USCG number7-21425
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Pottawatomie Lighthouse
Nearest cityWashington Island, Wisconsin
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
NRHP reference No.79000074[8]
Added to NRHPApril 20, 1979

History

The first lighthouse on the spot was a structure built in 1836. It was demolished in the late 1850s and replaced by the existing lighthouse. 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 lighthouse 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 remains closed for the 2020 season due to COVID-19 restrictions.

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 interior has been historically restored.
  • USCG archive photo

References
  1. Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2014.
  2. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Wisconsin". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  3. Pepper, Terry. "Database of Tower Heights". Seeing the Light. terrypepper.com. Archived from the original on 2000-09-18. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  4. Pepper, Terry. "Database of Focal Heights". Seeing the Light. terrypepper.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-30. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  5. Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
  6. "Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, Pottawatomie (Rock Island) (Lake Michigan) Light ARLHS USA-664".
  7. "Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, World List of Lights". Archived from the original on 2009-04-21.
  8. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  9. Wardius, Ken and Wardius, Barb (2000). Wisconsin Lighthouses: A Photographic & Historical Guide, pp. 60-61. Big Earth Publishing. ISBN 1-879483-60-2.
  10. "Door County Maritime Museum, Pottawatomie Lighthouse (Rock Island) history". Archived from the original on 2009-09-01. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  11. Wobser, David, Pottawatomie (Rock Island) Light, at Boatnerd.
  12. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Eastern Wisconsin". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Further reading
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