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| Southport Lighthouse | Seeing The Light |
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Historical
Information
A larger second light, equipped with a Fifth Order Fresnel was was built to replace this original structure in 1858, however it's construction was less than acceptable, as in a matter of a decade it was found to be deteriorating sufficiently to require replacement by the existing structure in 1866.
Finally, in 1994, sufficient funds were raised to allow the replacement of the lantern room, and the installation of a 300mm acrylic optic within. While no longer registered as an active aid to navigation by the Coast Guard, the light has been reactivated and once again shines proudly from the lantern room.
For more information on
the Kenosha Historical Society, or to make a donation to assist in
the tower restoration project, contact: |
With
initial settlement of what was then known as the "Pike Creek"
area in 1836, it did not take long for the settlers to realize the need
for a light to guide vessels into the protection that the creek offered.
The following year, in 1835, the citizens
of Pike Creek exhibited their first light, consisting of a ten foot high
tree stump, with a platform of rocks at its pinnacle, on which a beacon
fire was lighted. In
1840, an improved structure consisting of a twenty-four foot tall
four-legged tower capped by a lantern room was constructed at the mouth
of the Creek.
In 1847, land was
purchased on Simmons Island for the construction of the first
"Government Light," with construction of the light completed
the following year.
Standing fifty-two feet
tall, the tower was built of 
As a result of mild
winters on the Lake Michigan's West Coast, in 1903 the Lighthouse Board
ordered the light to remain illuminated throughout the year. Only three
years thereafter, the decision was made to discontinue the light, and
the light was extinguished permanently. In 1913, the lantern was
removed, and the tower capped-off at the gallery level. That same year,
a twenty-one foot tall steel tower with a fifteen foot flagstaff at its'
top was installed for the display of storm warning signals.
In the early 1950's the
Federal Government was making plans to demolish the structure. Concerned
citizens and civic groups banded together in an effort to save and
preserve the tower, which had grown to become a treasured landmark to
the people of Kenosha. In 1955, the U.S. Government conveyed
a quitclaim on the lighthouse and station property to the City of
Kenosha.
