| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office.
STONE LINTELS AND SILLS. 2 STORY PORCH IN ELL. 3 STORY TAPERED ROUND LIGHT TOWER OF BRICK W/1866 IN LINTEL.
A sentinel on a lakeside bluff, the Kenosha lighthouse guided ships into port for almost forty years. The cream-brick tower rises fifty-five feet from a stone base, its tapering walls ending in a corbeled sawtooth cornice. An iron deck and railing ring the recently reconstructed lantern. Inside the tower, a dramatic cast-iron staircase (with diamond-pattern treads, open-arch risers, and fleur-de-lis brackets) spirals around a central post, providing access to the lantern and its fourth-order Fresnel lens. The keeper lived in the adjacent cream-brick, Greek Revival house.
Lighthouse-building was part of a failed campaign to make Kenosha a major port, but Chicago, Milwaukee, and Racine offered superior harbors and railroad connections. Nevertheless, from the 1830s to the 1880s, local residents and federal agencies poured money into improving of Kenosha’s harbor facilities, including its lighthouses. In 1840 they replaced a makeshift structure with a more substantial one, superseded by a new lighthouse on Simmons Island in 1848. Finally, in 1866 the federal Lighthouse Board erected the present tower, as part of its effort to create a comprehensive, nationwide network of navigational aids. This lighthouse was too far from the harbor, as pierhead beacons served ships much better. Although the Lighthouse Board removed the beacon in 1903, the tower sent storm warning signals until 1953.
Covenant/Easement: From 9/26/1991 to 9/26/1996. A 'covenant file' exists for this property. It may contain additional information such as photos, drawings and correspondence. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. |
|---|
