Root River Lighthouse
Racine's first lighthouse was built in 1839 on a bluff overlooking the original mouth of the Root River, at the present site of the Racine Public Library. The 34-foot light was discontinued in 1865, after a "straight-cut" entrance to the harbor was dug a half mile to the north.
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Pierhead Light
The first piers at Racine were built in 1844, and a light was erected on the north pier in 1849.
The north pier was extended another 400 feet into the lake in 1868, and marked with a new light on a 28-foot timber frame. An elevated catwalk linked this light to the Racine Harbor Lighthouse, allowing a light-keeper to walk to the pierhead light without fear of being swept away in a storm. The north and south piers at Racine were lengthened a number of times, and the south pier eventually extended 1,470 feet into the lake. A new 53-foot cast-iron light tower was built at the end of the north pier in 1889. It was moved to the Racine breakwater in about 1920, where it stands today, as a symbol of Racine's maritime past. |
Racine Lighthouse and Life-Saving Station
Structures that once housed the Racine Harbor Lighthouse and the Racine Life-Saving Station still stand side by side at the mouth of the Root River.
The lighthouse was built in 1866 on a stone-filled crib at the end of the north pier, which then extended 200 feet into the lake. When the pier was extended another 400 feet in 1868, it was marked by a new 28-foot pierhead light, and the two beacons served as range lights, to guide sailors safely into the harbor. The Racine Harbor Life-Saving Station was built in 1883, just west of the lighthouse. It now is used by the Racine County Water Safety Patrol. |
Breakwater Light
When breakwaters were constructed at Racine, between 1890 and 1910, a small light tower was built to mark the entrance to the harbor. With sloping sides of sheet metal, and a domed lantern room, the light was one of several "pagoda-style" beacons built along the west coast of Lake Michigan. Similar lights marked the harbors at Sheboygan, Milwaukee, Kenosha and Waukegan. All of them have been demolished. Images of the photogenic lights survive only in old postcards.
Sometime in the 1920s the cast-iron light tower at the end of the north pier was moved to the breakwater. Operation of the light was discontinued in 1987, but the tower was preserved. Known as "Big Red," it still watches over Racine Harbor. |
Racine Reef Lighthouse
The most treacherous reef along the southern shores of Lake Michigan lies off Racine Harbor. It is a shelf of limestone more than a mile wide and just a few feet deep, known as "Racine Reef."
More than 40 vessels have run aground on Racine Reef. In 1880 it was marked by a buoy, illuminated by a beam of light shining from the Wind Point Lighthouse, four miles away. However, the distance and occasional bad weather often made the system ineffective. At last, in 1906, a five-story octagonal lighthouse was built atop the eastern edge of Racine Reef. The 55-foot structure was constructed of white and brown brick over an iron skeleton, and stood on a 17-foot pier. The lighthouse was manned by a crew of four. "A violent storm on February 1, 1915, sent towering waves crashing against the lighthouse," writes Timothy Harris in Lighthouse Digest. "The entire structure trembled, to the extent that furniture walked across rooms, and books on shelves were thrown to the floor. Rooms were flooded, and a coating of ice, estimated by Keeper Edward Knudsen to be eight inches thick, encased the lighthouse, and threatened to entomb the keepers." The Racine Reef Lighthouse was demolished in 1961. A small skeleton light now stands on the concrete pier that once supported the lighthouse. |
Wind Point Lighthouse
Towering 108 feet above Lake Michigan, the Wind Point Lighthouse is the third-tallest beacon still in operation on the Great Lake. Visitors must climb 144 steps to get to the top. The tower's walls are 7 feet thick at the base. The lighthouse and tower were built in 1880, to warn sailors to steer clear of Wind Point and the limestone reefs that lie just off shore. On a clear night the Wind Point light can be seen from 29 miles away. For decades the light was accompanied by a powerful foghorn, which could be heard for 40 miles. "My little nephew didn't like the foghorn at all," recalled light-keeper Marie Hering. "My mother told him it had to be, because ships out on the lake needed it when it was foggy. 'That's OK,' he said, 'turn it off anyway.' "One of the neighbors called down after the first time she heard it, wanting to know if we could please notify her ahead of time, or if we could start it 'more gently.'" |