North Point Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
The North Point lighthouse is a lighthouse
located in Lake Park
on the East Side
of Milwaukee
in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
.
The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1984 as reference #84003732. It was also added to the Library of Congress
Historic American Buildings Survey
as survey HABS WI-358.
It replaced a previous Cream City brick
lighthouse constructed in 1855 that was located too close to the edge of the eroding bluff. In 1888 a cast iron lighthouse was built, but this tower was not tall enough and was placed on top of a steel structure in 1912 raising its height to 74 feet (23 m) and light focal plane to 154 feet (47 m). The tower underwent restoration in 2005.
The first lantern burned mineral oil. A new lens, installed in 1868, is still in use. The present light source is a 25,000 candlepower lamp rotated electrically and controlled by an automatic time clock. The lens focuses a 1,300,000 candlepower signal visible for 25 miles (40.2 km).
A $984,000 grant was used to restore the light and to open it to the public.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
located in Lake Park
Lake Park, Milwaukee
Lake Park, located on Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is an urban park covering . The park is located just north of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Lake Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park in New York City along with many others.Lake Park is home to the last...
on the East Side
East Side, Milwaukee
East Side is a neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, considered to be a cultural and trend-setting center of the city since at least the 1960s. Encompassing an area just north of downtown Milwaukee to Shorewood, bordered by the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan, the area encompasses residences,...
of Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
.
The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1984 as reference #84003732. It was also added to the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
Historic American Buildings Survey
Historic American Buildings Survey
The Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
as survey HABS WI-358.
It replaced a previous Cream City brick
Cream City brick
Cream City brick is a cream or light yellow-colored brick made from a clay found around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the Menomonee River Valley and on the western banks of Lake Michigan...
lighthouse constructed in 1855 that was located too close to the edge of the eroding bluff. In 1888 a cast iron lighthouse was built, but this tower was not tall enough and was placed on top of a steel structure in 1912 raising its height to 74 feet (23 m) and light focal plane to 154 feet (47 m). The tower underwent restoration in 2005.
The first lantern burned mineral oil. A new lens, installed in 1868, is still in use. The present light source is a 25,000 candlepower lamp rotated electrically and controlled by an automatic time clock. The lens focuses a 1,300,000 candlepower signal visible for 25 miles (40.2 km).
A $984,000 grant was used to restore the light and to open it to the public.
Specialized Additional reading
- Havighurst, Walter (1943) The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes, Macmillan PublishersMacmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
. - 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.
- Sapulski, Wayne S., (2001) Lighthouses of Lake Michigan: Past and Present (Paperback) (Fowlerville: Wilderness Adventure Books) ISBN 0923568476; ISBN 978-0923568474.
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3.
External links
- North Point Lighthouse Friends, Inc.
- Seeing the light
- Lighthouse friends article
- NPS Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin
- Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey Survey number HABS WI-358 North Point Light.