Wisconsin Lighthouses

We're in the process of updating our website! Learn more about what that means and how you can help create history..

A Photographic and Historical Guide

Revised edition

Barb Wardius and Ken Wardius

An intimate and gloriously photographed tour of lighthouses on Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Winnebago.

224 pages, 8 x 10, 120 color and b&w photos
Paperback: $32.95 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-609-2
Ebook: $15.99 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-610-8
Publication Date: 10/17/2013

BUY

-

Front cover of Wisconsin Lighthouses (Revised Edition) Front cover of Wisconsin Lighthouses (Revised Edition) by Barb Wardius and Ken Wardius

Description

No symbol is more synonymous with Wisconsin’s rich maritime traditions than the lighthouse. These historic beacons conjure a bygone era: romance, loneliness, and dependability; dedicated keepers manning the lights; eerie tales of haunted structures and ghosts of past keepers; mariners of yesteryear anxiously hoping to make safe haven around rocky shorelines. If these sentinels could talk, imagine the tales they could tell. In Wisconsin Lighthouses, Ken and Barb Wardius do their part in telling those tales in vivid detail, taking readers on an intimate tour of lighthouses on Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Winnebago.

Both delightful storytellers and accomplished photographers, the couple complement their engaging text with more than 100 stunning color photographs, along with dozens of archival photos, maps, documents, and artifacts. Detailed "how to get there” directions, status reports on each light, and sidebars on everything from lighthouse vocabulary to the often lonely lives of lightkeepers make this the definitive book on Wisconsin’s lighthouses.

Author Bios

Ken and Barb Wardius travel nationally to pursue their hobbies of photography, history, hiking, bird study, and lighthouses, which first drew their interest at Door County’s picturesque Cana Island. Along with Wisconsin Lighthouses, Barb and Ken are the authors of Cana Island Lighthouse, Wind Point Lighthouse, and North Point Milwaukee Lighthouse. They are sought-after lighthouse lecturers and are featured in the PBS documentary, Wisconsin Lighthouses. The Wardiuses are lifelong residents of Milwaukee.

Lighthouse lovers, don't be surprised if this monumental work winds up in your car or your cuddy cabin. 'Wisconsin Lighthouses' is an extraordinary reference to be sure, but it goes far beyond to open windows on a fascinating parallel universe that has nearly vanished. These true, poignant tales of solitude, romance, adventure, dedication, courage, and sacrificial service are virtually irresistible.

Gary Knowles

Author of the “Gary’s Getaways” feature for Journal & Topics Newspapers and former president of the Midwest Travel Writers Association

“Wisconsin Lighthouses has always been one of my favorites, offering a unique blend of history, folksy stories, and wonderful photography. This revised edition is fantastic, including recently uncovered history, enthralling new stories, and photography that work together flawlessly.”

—Terry Pepper, Executive Director, Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association

“In a state with over 800 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, the significance of lighthouses as beacons of safety and places of cultural heritage is clear. Through diligent research and artistic photography, Ken and Barb Wardius have created a wonderfully updated handbook for lighthouse lovers and Wisconsin lakeshore travelers.”

—Wendy Lutzke, Education Curator, Wisconsin Maritime Museum

“An insightful and entertaining look at these timeless monuments to humankind's ingenuity and stalwart devotion and our never-ending struggle with the forces of wind, wave, and weather.”

—Captain Bob Desh, US Coast Guard (retired); Executive Director, Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society

"Wisconsin Lighthouses is a wonderful historical treasury and an excellent giftbook for lighthouse aficionados everywhere!"

—James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review