Pilot Island Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
The Pilot Island lighthouse is a lighthouse
located near Gills Rock
, on Pilot Island, in Door County
, Wisconsin
.
The building's plant is similar to Pottawatomie Light, but this is brick instead of stone. Until 1910 it called Port des Morts Island Light. The original fog signal building was converted to a second assistant lighthouse keeper
's residence in 1900.
Frequent and oppressive fog
made the passage hazardous; and also made duty at the light to be considered a hardship in an extremely lonely and forbidding place. A fog bell signal was installed in 1862. In 1864 it was replaced by a foghorn
. In 1875 it was converted to a steam powered fog siren. In 1880 a separate fog building was built for a "duplicate" fog siren. This began a ten inch steam whistle
and new building in 1900 (which still exists near water's edge). In 1904, there came a realization that the whisltles were "less than effective' and they were replaced by dual diaphone
s. The horns made living there difficult; fertilized eggs would be destroyed by the sounds.
Nearby Plum Island
and this island are two of four Wisconsin properties turned over in recent years by the U.S. Coast Guard to the United States Bureau of Land Management. the BLM is working to find new qualified owners, who would abe required to for the properties. The Coast Guard and BLM require the new stewards to maintain the buildings.
It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
in 1972 as the Pilot Island Light, reference #83004279.
It is currently "abandoned, overgrown, and overrun" by a large cormorant
population.
.
The lighthouse is owned by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service. The grounds, dwelling and tower are closed.
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 near Gills Rock
Gills Rock, Wisconsin
Gills Rock is an unincorporated community located on Highway 42 at the northern tip of the Door Peninsula in Door County, Wisconsin, United States...
, on Pilot Island, in Door County
Door County, Wisconsin
Door County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 27,961. Its county seat is Sturgeon Bay. Door County is a popular vacation and tourist destination, especially for residents of Wisconsin and Illinois....
, 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...
.
The building's plant is similar to Pottawatomie Light, but this is brick instead of stone. Until 1910 it called Port des Morts Island Light. The original fog signal building was converted to a second assistant lighthouse keeper
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
's residence in 1900.
Frequent and oppressive fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
made the passage hazardous; and also made duty at the light to be considered a hardship in an extremely lonely and forbidding place. A fog bell signal was installed in 1862. In 1864 it was replaced by a foghorn
Foghorn
A foghorn or fog signal or fog bell is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of hazards or boats of the presence of other vehicles in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport...
. In 1875 it was converted to a steam powered fog siren. In 1880 a separate fog building was built for a "duplicate" fog siren. This began a ten inch 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 :...
and new building in 1900 (which still exists near water's edge). In 1904, there came a realization that the whisltles were "less than effective' and they were replaced by dual 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...
s. The horns made living there difficult; fertilized eggs would be destroyed by the sounds.
Nearby Plum Island
Plum Island Light
Plum Island Light, also known as Plum Gut Light, is located on the western end of Plum Island, which lies eastof Orient Point which in turn is at the end of the North Fork of Long Island...
and this island are two of four Wisconsin properties turned over in recent years by the U.S. Coast Guard to the United States Bureau of Land Management. the BLM is working to find new qualified owners, who would abe required to for the properties. The Coast Guard and BLM require the new stewards to maintain the buildings.
It was listed in 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 1972 as the Pilot Island Light, reference #83004279.
It is currently "abandoned, overgrown, and overrun" by a large cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
population.
Getting there
This Lighthouse can be seen at a distance from the Northport-Washington Island ferry. Excursions that go near the island are offered during an annual Door County Lighthouse Walk sponsored by the Door County Maritime Museum, and by Shoreline Resort in Gills Rock, WisconsinGills Rock, Wisconsin
Gills Rock is an unincorporated community located on Highway 42 at the northern tip of the Door Peninsula in Door County, Wisconsin, United States...
.
The lighthouse is owned by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service. The grounds, dwelling and tower are closed.
External links
- Door County Lighthouses, Door County Marine Museum.
- NPS Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin
Specialized Additional reading
- D'Entremont, Jeremy, Islands at Death's Door (October, 2003) 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...
. - Door County Museum, Pilot Island Lighthouse.
- Eckert, Jack, Life on Pilot Island in 1955.
- 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.
- Pepper, Terry, Seeing the light, Port des Morts Light Station: Pilot Island, Door Peninsula, Wisconsin.
- Robb, David, Recollections of Plum Island at Seeing the Light.
- Sapulski, Wayne S., (2001) Lighthouses of Lake Michigan: Past and Present (Paperback) (Fowlerville: Wilderness Adventure Books) ISBN 0923568476; ISBN 978-0923568474.
- Wobser, David, Pilot Island Light at boatnerd.com.
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3.