Port Washington in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Lights of Port Washington

Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2020

1. The Lights of Port Washington Marker

Inscription. HistoryThe first settlers arrived in Port Washington in 1835. General Wooster Harrison became the town's first settler, laying out 16 acres of the gently sloping land at the mouth of Sauk Creek. In 1848, following years of petitioning Congress, money was budgeted for building a lighthouse at Port Washington. As most settlers came by ship, Port Washington became a port of call for all types of boats, from popular passenger steamers to the little cargo schooners that carried everything from potatoes to whiskey, as well as local fishing boats. Located halfway between Sheboygan and Milwaukee, it became a frequent stopping off point for ships along the western shore of Lake Michigan.

Timeline 1835 Settlement established along Sauk Creek, called Washington and finally Port Washington.
1849 Port Washington's first coastal lighthouse constructed on-site: free-standing tower with separate keepers dwelling.
1852 Congress created the Lighthouse Board to oversee the lighthouses in America.
1860 The 1860 lighthouse rebuilt due to deterioration.
1870 Federal government created the first artificial harbor on the Great Lakes in Port

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Washington.
1889 First pierhead light constructed, marking the entrance to Port Washington's artificial harbor.
1889-1903 Lightkeeper and a part-time assistant operated the 1860 and 1889 lights.
1894 Original red brick oil house constructed.
1902 The 1889 pierhead light converted to electricity.
1903 The 1860 lighthouse beacon decommissioned.
1903-1934 The 1889 wooden pierhead light became city's sole navigational aid.
1924 The 1889 pierhead light automated.
1931-1934 Harbor constructed to allow coal boats to dock; coal-burning electric power plant built.
1934 The 1860 lighthouse converted into a duplex to house keeper and assistant keeper and their families. Tower and lantern were torn down, with salvaged wood reused in the walls and ceilings of the reconstructed building.
1935 Harbor project completed: new coal-generated power plant, outer harbor, present art deco pierhead navigational guide and south pier light.
1939 Lighthouse Service incorporated into the US Coast Guard (USCG). USCG utilized site as an active light station into the 1970s. Dwelling and newly constructed watch room building, known as the Generator Building, operated

Bird's Eye View of the Village of Port Washington in 1865 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2020

2. Bird's Eye View of the Village of Port Washington in 1865

by the United States Lighthouse Service (USLHS) personnel.
1976 The art deco pierhead light fully automated, serviced by Coast Guard personnel out of Milwaukee and Sheboygan.
1976-1991 Pierhead light and foghorn fully automated and on-site personnel no longer necessary. USCG Station Port Washington officially closed, but Coast Guard Milwaukee personnel and their families continued living at the site.
1988 North slip converted into an inner marina.
1993 Port Washington Historical Society leased abandoned site from US Coast Guard and opened as a local history museum and Society office.
1997 Coast Guard declared the lighthouse building surplus property.
1998 Ownership transferred to the City of Port Washington; leased to Port Washington Historical Society for $1 per year.
1999 The 1860 light station listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
2000 Port Washington Historical Society embarked on restoration of the lighthouse with Grand Duchy of Luxembourg offering to replace the tower removed in 1934.
2000-2003 Chicago architect Kathleen O'Donnell adapted the 1860 floor plan to accommodate modern necessities. Port Washington Historical

Artist rendering of 1849 lighthouse of Gerald Smith image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2020

3. Artist rendering of 1849 lighthouse of Gerald Smith

Society volunteers gutted and recreated 80% of the interior of the lighthouse, including rebuilding structural components needed to support the new tower and lantern.
2002 The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg built and installed an exact replica of the original tower and lantern room. The Grand Duchy donated this gift to honor the American soldiers that freed their country from German occupation in the WWII Battle of the Bulge and to honor the hundreds of Luxembourgers that settled in this area in the 1840s and 1850s.
2003 The 1860 lighthouse building, museum and lantern room officially reopened.
2005 Cream City brick chimney on lighthouse rebuilt and 1894 oil house recreated.
2007 Fourth order beehive-style acrylic replica Fresnel lens installed and lit.

The 1849 Lighthouse The light emanated from a 35-foot round free-standing brick tower capped by a 12 1/2 inch stone platform topped by a cast iron octagon lantern. Each side of the lantern was filled with 15 glass panes 12 by 18 1/2 inches. The light was created by five Winslow Lewis patent lamps, each fitted with a 14-inch silver coated reflector. Although the lamps produced poor light,

1860 Light Station (photo un-dated) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2020

4. 1860 Light Station (photo un-dated)

they used little whale oil, so they were utilized despite better technology being available. A sixth order Fresnel lens was installed in 1857. The brick keeper's dwelling was one and a half stories high and measured 20 by 34 feet. Two rooms divided the space, with stairways to the basement and the attic. The steep roof covered meager sleeping chambers. Attached to the main house was a 12 by 14 foot kitchen, with a shared brick wall that had a fireplace on each side.

The 1860 Lighthouse The 1849 free-standing lighthouse tower was demolished. The keeper's quarters were rebuilt in 1860 incorporating several exterior walls into the new dwelling. The new tower was constructed as part of the keeper's quarters, eliminating the need for the keeper to go outside to tend the light. The keeper's quarters were built with modified post and beam construction in order to support the weight of the tower and to provide strength and stability in strong winds. The original interior wood framing was completely mortise and tenon. The tower and lantern support system begins in the basement, with two of the original three brick pillars still existing. Mortared

1860 Lighthouse - Photo taken in 1998 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2020

5. 1860 Lighthouse - Photo taken in 1998

into these pillars and front foundation are 8 by 8 inch cross members. Bearing walls serve as support on the first and second floors. In the attic eight-inch beams create a cradle of cross beams and vertical posts that extend upward 14 feet to support the parapet and the 9-sided wood, cast iron, and copper lantern.

This style of Great Lakes coastal lighthouse was utilized extensively from the late 1850s until about 1870. Small differences in the structures enabled ships' captains to determine which port they were approaching. The lighthouse faces south. The copper-topped room housed a fourth order beehive-style Fresnel lens. It displayed a fixed white beacon 126 feet above lake level. The lighthouse is accessible via the 105 stairs from Jackson Street to Johnson Street. This lighthouse served as an active aid to navigation between 1860 and 1903.

1889 Pierhead Light Due to increased settlement and shipping traffic, two slips were constructed between 1867 and 1870 to complete the nation's first artificial harbor. In order to protect ships visiting Port Washington, in 1871 the Government built two parallel piers, each initially

1889 Pierhead Light Winter Scene image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2020

6. 1889 Pierhead Light Winter Scene

320 feet and later extended to 920 feet. In 1889 a pierhead light was built at the end of the north pier. The elevated storm walk was later added to make it safer for the lighthouse keeper to tend the pierhead light. Winter storms often iced up the walkway and, even with cables to use as a railing, it was still hazardous.

1935 Pierhead Light A federally funded $1 million breakwater project began in 1931 and was finished in 1935. At its completion, a 71-foot, art deco-style steel light tower was built on a cement foundation with four legs and arches. This lighthouse still stands today, minus its helical lantern.

The Lewis Family: 60 Years of Service Charles H. Lewis Sr. was born September 26, 1819, and died May 3, 1880. He served as Port Washington light keeper from October 22, 1874 until he died May 3, 1880. Although Charles' wife Mariah was recommended to replace her husband as keeper, she was denied the position. Their son, Charles H. Lewis, Jr. was appointed to succeed his father.

Charles H. Lewis Jr was born in June 1852 and later married Linda Teed. He served Port Washington as head keeper after his father's death. When

1935 Pierhead Light image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2020

7. 1935 Pierhead Light

the pierhead light was constructed in 1889, he assumed the additional duties. In 1924, the light station closed and Lewis retired. He and his wife Linda remained on-site as caretakers until 1934. Linda died in 1935, Charles in 1937. Several of the Teed family homes still stand, including the Eghart House in Port Washington.

The Civilian Lightkeepers of Port Washington (This list may contain inaccuracies and omissions. Every effort was made to be as accurate as possible.)

May 8, 1849 - April 29, 1853 Cyrus B. Worth, USLHE
April 29, 1853 - May 28, 1857 David Tuttle, USLHE
May 28, 1857 - January 11, 1860 Bernard Schommer, USLHE
January 11, 1860 - August 6, 1861 Margarethe Schommer, USLHE
August 6, 1861 - January 2, 1866 Fauntleroy Hoyt, USLHE
January 2, 1866 - October 22, 1874 Patrick Kehoe, USLHE
October 22, 1874 - May 3, 1880 Charles H. Lewis Sr., USLHE
May 3, 1880 - 1924 Charles H. Lewis Jr., USLHE
October 3, 1889 New wooden pierhead light added to Lewis's duties along with approval to hire an assistant who lived off-site. Both lights lit year round.
October 3, 1889 - February 16, 1894 George H. Rathbun, 1st Assistant
February 26, 1894 - April 19, 1894 Delos H. Smith, 1st Assistant
April 30, 1894 - June 1903 William H. Duen, 1st Assistant
1924 - 1934 Charles H. Lewis Jr. and wife, Linda Teed Lewis, remained on-site as caretakers.
1934 - 1947 Arthur Almquist, USLHS, Head Keeper
1934 - 1941 Lester Struble, USLHS, 1st Assistant Keeper
May 1942 - April 1945 Marvin Cornell, USLHS, 1st Assistant Keeper
1945 - 1954 Michael Stanley Drezdzon, USLHS, 1st Assistant Keeper
March 18, 1948 - 1958 Delphius Pelletier (George Pelky), USLHS, Head Keeper

USCG: United States Coast Guard
USLHE: United States Light House Establishment
USLHS: United States Light House Service

Erected by Port

The Lewis Family image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devon Polzar, June 1, 2020

8. The Lewis Family

Washington Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list.

Location. 43° 23.464′ N, 87° 52.034′ W. Marker is in Port Washington, Wisconsin, in Ozaukee County. It is at the intersection of East Van Buren Street and Johnson Street, on the right when traveling north on East Van Buren Street. Located across the street from the 1860 Light Station, a museum operated by the Port Washington Historical Society. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 311 Johnson St, Port Washington WI 53074, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Wisconsin and in Greater Milwaukee.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At

Charles H. Lewis Jr. with granddaughters Jeannette and Geneveve image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devon Polzar, June 1, 2020

9. Charles H. Lewis Jr. with granddaughters Jeannette and Geneveve

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Oil House (a few steps from this marker); Well (a few steps from this marker); The Northerner Anchor (within shouting distance of this marker); Port Washington Light Station (within shouting distance of this marker); Cistern (within shouting distance of this marker); Lifeboat from the S.S. Milwaukee (within shouting distance of this marker); Lakeside Brewery Site (within shouting distance of this marker); Woodland Habitat (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Washington.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Northerner (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

Picture taken in the 1880s with Charles Lewis Jr. in doorway image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devon Polzar, June 1, 2020

10. Picture taken in the 1880s with Charles Lewis Jr. in doorway

Picture shows door entry and Charles Lewis Jr. in the garden image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devon Polzar, June 1, 2020

11. Picture shows door entry and Charles Lewis Jr. in the garden

Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2020

12. The Lights of Port Washington Marker

1860 Light Station image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2020

13. 1860 Light Station

Credits. This page was last revised on November 8, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2021, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 793 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 11, 2021, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. 5, 6, 7. submitted on October 17, 2021, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. 8, 9, 10. submitted on November 5, 2021, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. 11. submitted on November 8, 2021, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. 12, 13. submitted on October 11, 2021, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.