Kenosha Southport Light

Infobox_Lighthouse


caption = Kenosha (Southport) lighthouse
location = Simmons Island, Kenosha, Wisconsin
coordinates = coord|42|35|22|N|87|48|57|W|region:US_type:landmark
yearlit = 1866
automated = 1996
yeardeactivated = 1906-1996
foundation = Stone
construction = Milwaukee "Cream City brick" w/Mortar coat [ [http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHWI.asp United States Coast Guard list of Wisconsin lights, including Kenosha Southport Light.] ]
shape = Conical
marking = natural, green lantern
height = Tower - convert|55|ft|m
elevation = Focal plane - convert|76|ft|m [cite web|url=http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/index.htm |author=Pepper, Terry|title="Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes", database.]
lens = Fourth order Fresnel lens
currentlens = 300mm Tidelands acrylic plastic lens
intensity =
range =
characteristic =
fogsignal =
admiralty =
NGA =
ARLHS = USA-912
USCG =

The Kenosha Southport lighthouse is a lighthouse located near Kenosha in Kenosha County, Wisconsin.

History

Also known as the "Old Kenosha Light", it was replaced by the Kenosha North Pier Light in 1906." [ [http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Michigan/kenosha-pier.htm Wobser, David, Kenosha North Pier Head Light, boatnerd.com.] ] The keeper's house continued to be used for many years, however. [ [http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/michigan/kenoshasth/kenoshasth.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Southport Lighthouse: Simmons Island, Kenosha, Wisconsin.] ]

The light is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the Kenosha Light Station, Reference #90000995. It has been an active aid to navigation since 1996, but is not listed in Volume VII United States Coast Guard light list. The lantern room was removed in 1913 but replicated in 1994. The Fresnel Lens was replaced by a 300 mm plastic lens -- a medium range lens commonly used on the Great Lakes. [ [http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/closeups/illumination/acrylic/300mm/300mm.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, 300 m.m. Tidelands acrylic lens.] ]

A historical marker in front of the lighthouse reads::"Built by the federal government in 1866, the Kenosha Lighthouse replaces two other lighthouses constructed at this site in 1848? and 1858?. Originally designated a coast and harbor light for Southport, now Kenosha, WI provided the first navigational illumination a mariner would see upon entering Wisconsin from the Chicago area. Standing 55 feet [17 m] tall and situated on a hill, the lighthouse projected light from 74 feet [23 m] above lake level. The tower is built of yellow Milwaukee Cream City brick and is conical in shape. Originally the lighthouse contained a fourth order Fresnel lens fueled by kerosene with a fixed?-white light which varied by flashes. Officially discontinued in 1906, the lantern room was later removed and replaced by a 25-foot [8 m] tripod mast for displaying storm warning flags and lights. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, the lighthouse has been restored and holds an automated electric light. (1996)" [ [http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=240 Lighthouse Friends, Kenosha Southport Light.] ]

Current status and getting there

The building is currently maintained by the City of Kenosha and the Kenosha County Historical Society. It is also on the State List/Inventory, having been listed in 1975. [ [http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/light/kenosha.htm National Park Service, Maritime History Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin - Kenosha Southport Light.] ]

The keeper's house is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays during the tourist season, and the tower is usually available for inspection. [ [http://www.kenoshahistorycenter.org/events4.htm Kenosha History Center events.] ]

The lighthouse can be seen from the street. In Kenosha on 50th Street, just cross the bridge to Simmons Island. [ [http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Michigan/kenosha-southport.htm Wobser, David, Milwaukee Kenosha Southport Light, boatnerd.com.] ]

Notes

Bibliography and further reading

* Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein, "The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses" (2002) ISBN 1592231020; ISBN 978-1592231027.
* Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan. "The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes". Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995. ISBN 0814325548 ISBN 9780814325544.
* Jones, Ray & Bruce Roberts, "American Lighthouses" (Globe Pequot, September 1, 1998, 1st Ed.) ISBN 0762703245; ISBN 978-0762703241.
* Jones, Ray,"The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference" (Globe Pequot, January 1, 2004, 1st ed.) ISBN 0762727357; ISBN 978-0762727353.
* Noble, Dennis, "Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy" (Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997). ISBN 1557506388; ISBN 9781557506382.
* 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.
*
* Putnam, George R., "Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States", (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
* United States Coast Guard, "Aids to Navigation", (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
* [http://www.uscg.mil/History/weblighthouses/h_lhbib.asp United States Coast Guard, "Aids to Navigation Historical Bibliography".]
* Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, "Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia" Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1550463993.

ee also

*Kenosha North Pier Lighthouse - Nearby lighthouse

External links

* [http://www.kenoshahistorycenter.org/ Kenosha History Center.]
* [http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/wi.htm Lighthouse Digest, Wisconsin lighthouses, Kenosha Southport Light, University of North Carolina.]
* [http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=240 Lighthouse friends, Kenosha Southport Light article.]
*National Park Service [http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/light/kenosha.htm Maritime History Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin - Kenosha Southport Light.]
* [http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=42.589374,-87.815813&spn=0.002038,0.003369&t=h&z=18&om=1 Satellite view, Southport Lighthouse, Google earth.]
* [http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/michigan/kenoshasth/kenoshasth.htm Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Southport Lighthouse: Simmons Island, Kenosha, Wisconsin.]
* [http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHWI.asp United States Coast Guard list of Wisconsin lights, including Kenosha Southport Light.]
*United States Coast Guard [http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pubs/LightLists/V7COMPLETE.PDF Volume 7, Lightlist (PDF).]
* [http://lighthouse.boatnerd.com/gallery/Michigan/kenosha-southport.htm Wobser, David, Milwaukee Kenosha Southport Light, boatnerd.com.]