Wind Point Lighthouse at Wind Point, Wisconsin on Lake Michigan, just north of Racine

Wind Point Lighthouse, Wind Point, Wisconsin

by Mark Czerniec | August 13, 2006 — 10:55 am

Wind Point, Wisconsin — The Wind Point Lighthouse on Lake Michigan, viewed from the southeast.

Here’s the text of the lighthouse’s Wisconsin Historical Society sign:

THE WIND POINT LIGHTHOUSE

To assist navigation around the point into Racine harbor, the Wind Point Lighthouse began functioning in 1880 with a kerosene lamp, focused and magnified by a third-order Fresnel lens. Its light could be seen for 19 miles.

At 108 feet, it is one of the tallest and oldest lighthouses still serving navigation on the Great Lakes. Its fog horns, which last sounded in 1964, could be heard for 10 miles.

In recognition of the key role this lighthouse has played in the maritime history of Racine County, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

In 1997, the National Park Service awarded ownership of the property to the Village of Wind Point. The Coast Guard still maintains the light as a public navigation aid.

Erected in 2002 by Friends of the Wind Point Lighthouse in memory of Judge Richard G. Harvey, Jr.