Kenosha North Pier Light

The Kenosha North Pier lighthouse or Kenosha Light is a lighthouse located near Kenosha in Kenosha County, 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 for the old Kenosha Light.[4] It was listed on the National register of Historic Places in 2008.[6]

Kenosha North Pier Light
Kenosha North Pier Lighthouse
LocationKenosha, Wisconsin
Coordinates42°35′19.7″N 87°48′30.83″W[1]
Year first constructed1906
Year first lit1906
FoundationConcrete pier
ConstructionCast iron
Tower shapeFrustum of a cone
Markings / patternRed, black lantern and parapet
Tower height50 feet (15 m)
Focal height50 feet (15 m)
Original lensFourth-order Fresnel lens
Current lens9.8-inch (250 mm) Tideland Signal acrylic optic Fresnel lens[2]
Range11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi)
CharacteristicRed, Isophase, 6 sec[1]
ARLHS numberUSA-416
USCG number7-20415
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Kenosha North Pierhead Light
Arealess than one acre
Built byOffice of the Lighthouse; Superintendent, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
MPSLight Stations of the United States MPS
NRHP reference No.08000545[3]
Added to NRHPJune 24, 2008

History

The 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]

Located on the north pier, the pierhead light is listed in the United States Coast Guard light list and the United States Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System as the Kenosha Light. 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. A deadline of July 21 was created for qualified organizations to express interest.[9] At this time, no organization came forward.

In 2011, the excess property was put up for auction and was purchased by Heather McGee and John Burhani. The lighthouse is currently being used as an art studio and gallery as its name now conveys; Kenosha Lighthouse Studio. Art shows, open to the public, can be found on the kenoshalighthousestudio.com website. The Kenosha Lighthouse Studio is open for individual dinners/meetings and other events.

Directions

In 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

References
  1. Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2014.
  2. Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Kenosha Pierhead & Breakwater Lights.
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  4. Wobser, David, Kenosha North Pier Head Light, Boatnerd
  5. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Eastern Wisconsin". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  6. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Kenosha North Pierhead Light". National Park Service. Retrieved January 24, 2021. With accompanying pictures
  7. 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.
  8. "Kenosha North Pierhead Light". Wisconsin Historic Society. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
  9. Lighthouse friends article.

Further 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". 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.

Media related to Kenosha North Pier Light at Wikimedia Commons

USCG archive photo, showing fog signal building
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