Wind Point Lighthouse (or Windpoint Light Station) is a lighthouse located at the north end of
Racine Harbor in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
. It is in the village of
Wind Point, Wisconsin
Wind Point is a village in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,651 at the 2020 census.
Geography
Wind Point is located at (42.782452, -87.774173).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total ...
, on Lighthouse Road, next to the Shoop Park golf course. The lighthouse stands tall. One of the oldest and tallest active
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Ligh ...
s on the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
, it was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1984.
History
Racine harbor had its first lighthouse in 1837, but that light was not visible to ships approaching from the north, blocked by Racine Point, three and a half miles to the north.
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.
Wind Point Lighthouse was designed by
Orlando Metcalfe Poe, a former Brigadier General in the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. The lighthouse was constructed in 1880. It was lit for the first time on November 15, 1880. The
beacon
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...
was originally powered by a three-wicked
kerosene lamp
A kerosene lamp (also known as a paraffin lamp in some countries) is a type of lighting device that uses kerosene as a fuel. Kerosene lamps have a wick or mantle as light source, protected by a glass chimney or globe; lamps may be used on a t ...
, magnified by a third-order
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections.
The simpler Dioptrics, d ...
. The light was electrified in 1924, and replaced a
DCB-24R airport beacon
An aerodrome beacon, airport beacon, rotating beacon or aeronautical beacon is a beacon installed at an airport or aerodrome to indicate its location to aircraft pilots at night.
An aerodrome beacon is mounted on top of a towering structure, o ...
in 1964. The DCB-24R failed in 2007, and was replaced by a
VRB-25
The VRB-25 is a lighthouse optical system designed and built by Vega Industries Ltd. in Porirua, New Zealand. It was originally designed in 1993–95 with the assistance of the United States Coast Guard to meet USCG requirements for a robust m ...
lens.
[ 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.][ 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,]
See also
* Racine Reef Light
* Racine Harbor Lighthouse and Life Saving Station
* Racine North Breakwater Light
References
Specialized further reading
* Havighurst, Walter (1943) ''The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes'', Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...
.
* Oleszewski, Wes, ''Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses'', (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) .
*
* Sapulski, Wayne S., (2001) ''Lighthouses of Lake Michigan: Past and Present'' (Paperback) (Fowlerville: Wilderness Adventure Books) ; .
* Taylor, Paul (October 2009) ''Orlando M. Poe: Civil War General and Great Lakes Engineer'' (Kent State University Press
Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Ashtabula, Burton, East Liverpool, Jackson Township, New Philadelphia ...
) ; .
* Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, ''Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia'' Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) .
External links
*
Wind Point Lighthouse - Official Website
*
{{authority control
Lighthouses completed in 1880
Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin
National Register of Historic Places in Racine County, Wisconsin
1880 establishments in Wisconsin