-- APOSTLE ISLANDS --
The Apostle Island archipelago contains 21 islands and has the highest concentration of lighthouses in North America.
- DEVILS ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE --
Lake Superior
Built 1891 (rebuilt 1901) • Height 82 feet • 3rd order lens
Devils Island is the most northern island in archipelago. The Devils Island Lighthouse became the eighth and final lighthouse to be constructed on the islands. It was first built in 1891 as a 4-story, wooden pyramidal tower with a 4th order lens. A new 85-foot-tall, steel, cylindrical tower was built and received a 3rd order lens in 1901. Unfortunately it was discovered that this design didn't hold up well in wind, so it was modified in 1914. It was automated and de-staffed in 1978. In 1989, the Coast Guard removed the 3rd order lens, replacing it with a modern beacon mounted on the gallery railing. After much protest, the 600-pound lens was eventually returned, even though it remains inactive.
-- RASPBERRY ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE --
Lake Superior
Built 1862 (remodeled 1906) • Height 43 feet • 5th order lens
The Raspberry Island lighthouse was built in 1862. Its 5th order, fixed lens was was first lit 1863, in the middle of the Civil War. In 1880, the fuel for the light was changed from lard oil to kerosene. The lens was replaced by an automated, battery-operated light in 1957.
-- SUPERIOR ENTRY BREAKWATER LIGHTHOUSE --
Lake Superior
Built 1913 • Height 56 feet • 6th & 4th order lenses
The 56-foot-tall Wisconsin Point light sits along the natural break in the 10-mile long sand bar that stretches between the ports of Duluth and Superior. The Minnesota side of the opening is known as Minnesota Point and the Wisconsin side is called the Wisconsin Point. It was built in 1913 at the outer end of the southern breakwater. A clockwork mechanism, powered by a 75 pound weight, had to be wound every four hours, The original 4th order Fresnel lens manufactured in Paris in 1890 was eventually replaced with aerobeacon.
-- PORT WASHINGTON LIGHT STATION --
Lake Superior
Built 1849 (rebuilt 1860) • Height 36 feet • 4th order lens
Built in 1849, the first Port Washington Lighthouse was a 32-foot, conical brick tower which housed five lamps set in 14-inch reflectors. It was rebuilt as a rectangular keepers house with a tower on the roof in 1960. In 1888, two harbor piers were completed, and the following year a pyramidal tower was erected on the north pier to guide ships into Port Washington. In 1903, however, it was decided the pier light was enough and the old lighthouse was discontinued.
A replica 4th order Fresnel lens
The copper ceiling ... Restored quarters that depict the life of a keeper and his family in the 1800s
-- PORT WASHINGTON BREAKWATER LIGHTHOUSE --
Lake Superior
Built 1889 • Height 59 feet • 4th order lens
The first pier light was 42 feet high and built of wood in 1889. It was electrified in 1924 and upgraded to steel in 1935 with a height of 59 feet. The lantern room, which once housed a 4th order lens, was removed. In 2015, the US Coast Guard declared the light as excess. It was acquired by the city of Port Washington in 2018 and added to the National Register of Historic Places.
