Port Washington Breakwater Light facts for kids
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 Port Washington Breakwater Light
Location in Wisconsin
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| Location | End of north breakwater at entrance to Port Washington, Wisconsin harbor |
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| Coordinates | 43°23′07″N 87°51′35″W / 43.3853°N 87.8597°W |
| Year first constructed | 1889 |
| Year first lit | 1889 (first tower) 1935 (second tower) |
| Automated | 1975 |
| Foundation | Concrete |
| Construction | Wood (first) steel (second) |
| Tower shape | square pyramidal tower (first) Art Deco tower on square base (second) |
| Focal height | 78 feet (24 m) |
The Port Washington Breakwater Light is a cool lighthouse located in Port Washington, Wisconsin. It stands at the entrance to the harbor on Lake Michigan. This lighthouse was built in 1935. It's actually the second lighthouse to stand in this spot. Today, it still helps ships find their way safely. In 2018, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical site.
Contents
History of the Lighthouse
Early Needs and the First Light
Back in the 1870s, the harbor in Port Washington was made deeper. Long structures called piers were also built to protect the harbor entrance. Because of these changes, people realized they needed a light to guide ships directly into the harbor. The old lighthouse in town was too high up. It only showed where the town was, not the harbor entrance.
So, a small wooden tower was built at the end of the north pier. This new light had a special lens called a fourth-order Fresnel lens. This new light started working in 1903. The people who worked at the new light, called keepers, still lived in the old lighthouse building in town. There was no house for them on the pier. In 1924, the light itself became automatic. But the fog signal, which made loud sounds in foggy weather, still had to be operated by hand.
A New Power Plant and a Modern Lighthouse
In 1930, a company called the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company decided to build a huge power plant. This plant needed a bigger harbor so that large ships could bring in coal. So, in 1931, money was set aside to make the harbor better. This work was part of a big government program called the Works Progress Administration.
Building the new breakwaters, which are like walls protecting the harbor, took three years. As part of this big project, a new lighthouse was built. This new lighthouse looked just like others built around the same time in the Great Lakes. It was made of steel plates and had a cool Art Deco style. It stood on a concrete platform at the end of the north breakwater. The old fourth-order lens from the first lighthouse was used again.
Just like before, there was no place for the fog signal keepers to live on the pier. They kept living in the old keeper's house in town. Money for the new light was approved in 1934, and its light first shone in 1935.
Automation and Today's Use
It took a while for this lighthouse to become fully automatic. The old lens and its lantern were taken out at some point. But the keepers continued to operate the fog signal by hand until 1975. The Port Washington Breakwater Light is still used today. There is also a second, shorter tower on the southern breakwater. This smaller light marks the other side of the harbor entrance.
