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Port Washington Light

Coordinates: 43°23′28″N 87°52′04″W / 43.391°N 87.8677°W / 43.391; -87.8677
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Port Washington Light
Undated photograph of the Port Washington Light (USCG)
Map
LocationOverlooking Port Washington harbor
Coordinates43°23′28″N 87°52′04″W / 43.391°N 87.8677°W / 43.391; -87.8677
Tower
Constructed1849
FoundationStone
Construction
  • Brick (first)
  • Brick (second)
Height11 m (36 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Shape
  • Round tower (first)
  • Rectangular house with tower on roof (second)
Port Washington Light Station
Location311 E. Johnson St., Port Washington, Wisconsin[3]
Architectural styleGreek Revival[3]
NRHP reference No.99001222[3]
Added to NRHPSeptember 29, 1999[3]
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Light
First lit
  • 1849 (first tower)
  • 1860 (second tower)[1]
Deactivated1903 (1903)[2]
Focal height34 m (112 ft) Edit this on Wikidata

The Port Washington Light is a historical lighthouse in Port Washington, Wisconsin. Replaced by the Port Washington Breakwater Light and converted to a normal dwelling, it was restored with the assistance of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and currently serves as a museum.

History

Requests for a lighthouse for the harbor were first presented to congress in 1845, and in 1848 $3,500 was appropriated for construction.[4] This light was completed in 1849 and consisted of a tower and separate keeper's house, both constructed of Cream City brick.[5] The tower was somewhat over 35 feet (11 m) tall and was equipped with an array of five Lewis lamps with 14-inch (360 mm) reflectors. It was lit for the first time on May 8, 1849.[4][5] In 1856 a sixth-order Fresnel lens was installed. This lamp was 36 feet (11 m) from the ground and 109 feet (33 m) above the water.[5]

Starting in 1859 the lighthouse was "rebuilt".[6] In fact a more or less entirely new brick structure was constructed, reusing some elements and materials of the older dwelling.[5] The design of the new house, of two-stories with roof tower, was also used for the Pilot Island Light and others in the area. A sixth-order lens was to be installed, thought to be retained from the previous light;[7] however it is known that a fourth order lens was installed in 1870.[5] This lens, at 113 feet (34 m) above the water, gave the light a range of 16 nautical miles; 29 kilometres (18 mi).[4]

The 1859 building housed one keeper and his family. An office was on the first floor and a watch room on the second. Charles Lewis Sr. was the keeper from 1874 to 1880, when he died. His wife took over briefly, then his son Charles Lewis Jr. maintained Port Washington's lights for many years.[8]

With the dredging and enlargement of the harbor in the late 1800s, the Port Washington Breakwater Light was first lit in 1889.[5] This tower was unmanned and was maintained by the keepers of the older light. By 1903 it was clear that only one light was needed, and the old Port Washington Light was discontinued.[4][5] Keeper Charles Lewis, Jr. retired in 1924 upon the electrification of the pierhead light, but apparently continued to live in the old house.[2][4][5] In 1934, however, a new steel tower was installed on the breakwater, and this light required manual maintenance of its foghorns. The old light was remodeled to house the new set of keepers, including the removal of the tower and all its interior supports.[4][5] When the breakwater light was fully automated in 1975–76, the old light continued to house other Coast Guard personnel until 1993, when the building was turned over to the Port Washington Historical Society, first on a leased basis and then in 1997 in full ownership.[4]

Restoration

The restored lighthouse

The Port Washington area was home to many Luxembourgish immigrants, and in 2000 the Luxembourg Minister of Sites and Monuments visited the area. Upon touring the old light, he offered, on behalf of the grand duchy, to provide a replacement tower and lantern in order to restore the light to its original appearance, as a memorial to United States servicemen who fought in the tiny country in World War II.[2][4] The historical society succeeded in raising the necessary funds to complete restoration, and in March 2002 the new tower arrived from Luxembourg and was installed; the restored light was dedicated on June 16, 2002.[2] A replacement, newly made Fresnel lens was installed in 2007.[2] The restored lighthouse contains a museum of lighthouse-keeping life.[4]

The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.[3]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Port Washington Light.
  1. ^ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Wisconsin". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Anderson, Kraig. "Port Washington, WI". LighthouseFriends. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Pepper, Terry. "Port Washington Main Lighthouse". Retrieved 2012-02-11.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Nenn, Linda. "History of the Port Washington Light House". Port Washington Historical Society. Retrieved 2012-02-06.
  6. ^ Sources used here agree that the likely cause for reconstruction was curt-rate construction characteristic of Stephen Pleasanton's administration, but the records do not give a reason.
  7. ^ Pepper and Anderson say that the old lens was reused; Nunn states that the records do not say.
  8. ^ Della G. Rucker (1996-11-18). "NRHP Inventory/Nomination: Port Washington Light Station". National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-02-24. With 13 photos.
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