Devils Island Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
The Devils Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse
located on Devils Island
, one of the Apostle Islands
, in Lake Superior
in Ashland County, Wisconsin
, near the city of Bayfield
.
Currently owned by the National Park Service
and part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1977, as reference number 77000145. Listed in the Library of Congress
Historic American Buildings Survey
, WI-324. Several other structures in the vicinity are also listed in HABS.
The original third order Fresnel lens
manufactured by Henry-Lepaute was removed by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1989, but a new third order Fresnel lens
was replaced by the N.P.S. in 1992.
The site originally had a 10 inches (254 mm) steam whistle
in a fog signal building. That was removed in 1925, and "a much improved air-operated diaphone
fog signal" was accomplished. In 1928, a diesel-powered electrical generator was installed, and the light intensity increased to 300,000 candela
for the white flash and 180,000 candela for the red.
A previous skeletal, wooden structure was constructed in 1891 has since been demolished. Historical brick Queen Anne style
keepers quarters (1896) are collocated with the current lighthouse. Also on the premises were two oil houses, a tramway, a brownstone
tramway engine
building, a dock
, wooden boathouse
(1 mile distant) and a radio beacon.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
located on Devils Island
Devils Island (Wisconsin)
Devils Island is one of the twenty-two Apostle Islands of northern Wisconsin, and has also been known as Louisiana Island , Barney and Lamborn's Island , Brownstone Island, and Rabbit Island....
, one of the Apostle Islands
Apostle Islands
The Apostle Islands are a group of 22 islands in Lake Superior, off the Bayfield Peninsula in northern Wisconsin. The majority of the islands are located in Ashland County—only Sand, York, Eagle, and Raspberry Islands are located in Bayfield County...
, in Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
in Ashland County, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, near the city of Bayfield
Bayfield, Wisconsin
Bayfield is a city in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 611 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Henry Bayfield, a British Royal Topographic Engineer who explored the region in 1822-23....
.
Currently owned by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
and part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a U.S. national lakeshore consisting of 21 islands and shoreline encompassing 69,372 acres on the northern tip of Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Superior....
, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1977, as reference number 77000145. Listed in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
Historic American Buildings Survey
Historic American Buildings Survey
The Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
, WI-324. Several other structures in the vicinity are also listed in HABS.
The original third order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
manufactured by Henry-Lepaute was removed by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1989, but a new third order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
was replaced by the N.P.S. in 1992.
The site originally had a 10 inches (254 mm) steam whistle
Steam whistle
A steam whistle is a device used to produce sound with the aid of live steam, which acts as a vibrating system .- Operation :...
in a fog signal building. That was removed in 1925, and "a much improved air-operated diaphone
Diaphone
For Diaphone, the Noctuid moth species see Diaphone The diaphone was a noisemaking device best known for its use as a foghorn: it could produce deep, powerful tones able to carry a long distance...
fog signal" was accomplished. In 1928, a diesel-powered electrical generator was installed, and the light intensity increased to 300,000 candela
Candela
The candela is the SI base unit of luminous intensity; that is, power emitted by a light source in a particular direction, weighted by the luminosity function . A common candle emits light with a luminous intensity of roughly one candela...
for the white flash and 180,000 candela for the red.
A previous skeletal, wooden structure was constructed in 1891 has since been demolished. Historical brick Queen Anne style
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
keepers quarters (1896) are collocated with the current lighthouse. Also on the premises were two oil houses, a tramway, a brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
tramway engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
building, a dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
, wooden boathouse
Boathouse
A boathouse is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats stored are rowing boats...
(1 mile distant) and a radio beacon.
Getting there
Most of the Apostle Islands light stations may be reached on the Apostle Islands Cruise Service water taxi or by private boat during the summer. During the Annual Apostle Island Lighthouse Celebration ferry tour service is available for all the lighthouses. In the tourist season, volunteer park rangers are on the many of the islands to greet visitors.See also
- Apostle Islands LighthousesApostle Islands LighthousesThe Apostle Islands Lighthouses are a group of six lighthouses, located in the Apostle Islands, Wisconsin and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 as reference number 77000145....
- Wisconsin lighthouses
Specialized Additional reading
- Devils Island Light Station. Lighthouse DigestLighthouse DigestLighthouse Digest is a specialty magazine for lighthouse and maritime history enthusiasts published in East Machias, Maine. Launched in May, 1992, by FogHorn Publishing, it is dedicated to preserving lighthouse history, current and yesteryear, for future generations.-Scope:Coverage includes...
(Jan 1999), pp. 14–15. - Havighurst, Walter (1943) The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes, Macmillan PublishersMacmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
. - Oleszewski, Wes, Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3.
External links
- Aerial photos of Devils Island Light, Marina.com.
- Anderson, Kraig. Lighthouse friends Devil's Island Light article.
- Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey Survey number HABS WI-324
- Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey Survey number HABS WI-324-A
- National Park ServiceNational Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, Maritime History Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin, Devils Island Light. - NPS - Devils Island Light Station
- Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Devil's Island Light.
- Wobser, David, Devil's Island Lights, boatnerd.com. originally in Great Laker Magazine.