- Pottawatomie Light
Infobox Lighthouse
|150px
caption = Potawatomi Lighthouse 2004
location = Rock Island,Door County, Wisconsin
coordinates = coord|45|25|39|N|86|49|41|W|region:US_type:landmark
yearlit = 1836
automated = 1966
yeardeactivated = Active
foundation = Stone
construction = Limestone
shape = Square
height = 41 feet (12.5 m)
lens =Fresnel lens
range =
characteristic =
ARLHS = USA-664
USCG = 7-21425Pottawatomie Lighthouse, also known as the Rock Island Light, is located in Rock Island State Park, on Rock Island in Door County,
Wisconsin . Established in 1836, it is the oldest light station in Wisconsin and onLake Michigan . It was served by civilian light keepers from 1836 to the 1940s, at which point it was taken over by theUS Coast Guard .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 in active service until 1988, when it was replaced with a modern skeletal tower and automated system. [Wardius, Ken and Wardius, Barb (2000). "Wisconsin Lighthouses: A Photographic & Historical Guide", pp. 60-61. Big Earth Publishing. ISBN 1879483602.]
The lighthouse has been restored to a state illustrating its appearance circa 1882-1910. The restoration was performed with the help from the non-profit "Friends Of Rock Island State Park". It now serves as a museum that is open for tours daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
The lighthouse was listed as Pottawatomie Lighthouse in the
National Register of Historic Places in 1979, as reference #79000074. Thefresnel lens , lost after the lighthouse was shut down in the late 1980s, was replaced by a plexiglass copy in 1999.References
External links
* [http://www.dcmm.org/pottawatomie.html Door County Maritime Museum on the Pottowatomie Light]
* [http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/michigan/pottawatomie/pottawatomie.htm Seeing the light]
* [http://www.cr.nps.gov/maritime/light/rockisl.htm NPS Inventory of Historic Light Stations]
* [http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=639 Lighthouse friends]
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