Wind Point Light

Coordinates: 42°45′52.122″N 87°45′29.995″W / 42.76447833°N 87.75833194°W / 42.76447833; -87.75833194
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Wind Point Light
Range21 nautical miles (39 km; 24 mi)[1]
Historic Lighthouse
Architect
Orlando Metcalfe Poe
NRHP reference No.84003780
Added to NRHP1984

Wind Point Lighthouse (or Windpoint Light Station) is a lighthouse located at the north end of Racine Harbor in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is in the village of Wind Point, Wisconsin, on Lighthouse Road, next to the Shoop Park golf course. The lighthouse stands 108 feet (33 m) tall. One of the oldest and tallest active lighthouses on the Great Lakes,[2] it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[3]

History

Racine harbor had its first lighthouse in 1837,[4] but that light was not visible to ships approaching from the north, blocked by Racine Point, three and a half miles to the north.[5] As a result, the Lighthouse Board recommended in 1870 the building of a lighthouse on Wind Point itself. Congress appropriated the money in 1877 and the lighthouse entered service in 1880.[6]

Wind Point Lighthouse was designed by

airport beacon in 1964. The DCB-24R failed in 2007, and was replaced by a VRB-25 lens.[5] A signal house (horns removed, resonators still in place) remains on the grounds as well as a garage, two storage buildings, and an oil house. The Village of Wind Point has maintained the lighthouse and grounds since 1964, and uses the old keepers' quarters as a village hall and police headquarters.[5]
The park and lighthouse were transferred from the U.S. coast guard to the Village of Wind Point in 1997, with the requirement that it be maintained as a historical landmark. The lighthouse is open to tour on certain dates.

In the summer of 2007, the lighthouse tower underwent a US$210,000 restoration,[7] during which windows and doors were replaced, brickwork repointed, and the tower repainted.

The shipwreck site of the Kate Kelly is located 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the lighthouse.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2014.
  2. ^ "About - Wind Point Lighthouse". Wind Point Lighthouse. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  3. ^ "Wind Point Light". Inventory of Historic Light Stations. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2006-02-02. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
  4. ^ Pepper, Terry. "Root River Lights". Seeing the Light. Terry Pepper. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  5. ^ a b c "Wind Point Lighthouse". Lighthousefriends.com. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  6. ^ Charles K. Hyde (July 10, 1979). "Historic American Engineering Inventory: Wind Point (Racine Point) Light Station". United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  7. ^ "July 2007 newsletter" (PDF). Village of Wind Point. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
  8. ^ "Wind Point Lighthouse". Wisconsin Shipwrecks.org.

Specialized further reading

External links