Over 100 lighthouses punctuate Lake Michigan’s meandering coastline. That’s more than any other Great Lake. At least 50 of these historic towers are located in Wisconsin, many dating back hundreds of years.
Milwaukee boasts many impressive lighthouses, which were essential to its growth into one of the most important harbors on the Great Lakes. These five beautiful structures in the Milwaukee area are your gateway to Wisconsin’s rich aquatic history.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
1. Port Washington Breakwater Light
PORT WASHINGTON MARINA
The base of this lighthouse is reachable to those who traverse a 2,500 ft. breakwater — a wall of steel decking, massive stones and concrete built to provide calmer waters for ships coming in and out of the harbor. No longer active, the art-deco style tower is on the National Register of Historic Places. The tower’s interior is closed to the public.
Built in 1935, the light came after a wooden pier-head light was constructed on the same spot in 1889. Keepers of this lighthouse would stay with their families in a light station atop St. Mary’s Hill on land until the mid 1970’s, when the foghorn and light were automated.
2. North Point Lighthouse
2650 N. WAHL AVE., LAKE PARK
More of a museum than a functioning lighthouse now, this 74-foot white tower has been out of service since 1994. “North Point Lighthouse Friends” restored the structure, opening the tower and Queen Anne-style Keeper’s Quarters next to it as a museum in 2007.
The original lighthouse was a 28 ft. tower built with Cream City brick in 1855. In the 1870s, shore erosion caused 16 ft. of the front yard to break loose and drop to the beach, motivating the government to start building the current tower 100 ft. inland.
The lighthouse is open for visits on Saturdays and Sundays from 1-4 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for seniors, students and children aged 5-11. Group tours are also available.
3. Milwaukee Pierhead Lighthouse
LAKESHORE STATE PARK
The bright red Pierhead Lighthouse is the only active structure of its kind in Milwaukee County. It looms 41 ft. over a pier where the Milwaukee River flows into Lake Michigan, easily accessible to those biking or walking along the Hank Aaron State Trail in Lakeshore State Park. It was first built in 1868, then replaced in 1906. It had its own keeper until the nearby Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse was built 1926.
An almost identical red-and-black tower around 40 miles south — Kenosha North Pier Light — is also still active.
4. Milwaukee Breakwater Light
LAKESHORE STATE PARK
Located just off the Milwaukee shoreline in 34 ft. of water, the base of this tower is connected to the harbor by a breakwater of about 8,000 ft. The Milwaukee Breakwater Light was built to assist naval traffic coming from Lake Michigan and through the Milwaukee River.
Tragedy first struck the lighthouse in 1937 when Keeper Michael Rotta’s six-year-old son — who wanted to be a lighthouse keeper when he grew up — died in a car accident before his father could reach him. Fifteen years later in 1952, Rotta was killed while doing maintenance on the lighthouse. Nobody knows exactly what happened.
A private owner purchased the lighthouse in 2013 after it was declared no longer necessary to the U.S. Coast Guard in 2012. It is not currently open to the public, but money is being raised to make this a possibility.
5. Wind Point Lighthouse
4725 LIGHTHOUSE DR., WIND POINT
This 108 ft. tower was lit for the first time in November of 1880 and still beams today. The structure was designed by Civil War Brigadier General Orlando Metcalfe Poe with a fog horn that could be heard from up to 10 miles into Lake Michigan. Its keeper’s quarters still house the caretakers who maintain the park grounds around the tower, which are open to the public.
Open tower climbs for the remainder of this season are scheduled on Aug. 4, Sept. 1 and Oct. 6. Tickets can be pre-purchased online or walk-ups are available as supply lasts for $12 for adults and $6 for kids aged 6-11. Private group climbs can also be arranged.
