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Pottawatomie, Wisconsin
First lit in October 1837, Pottawatomie stands strategically at the mouth of Green Bay on the north end of Rock Island. The United States Congress appropriated $8,000 and title was attained to a 134-acre parcel of land.
The construction of the original tower and Keeper's dwelling began in April 1836. Built of native stone, the Keeper's dwelling was one and a half stories and measured 35' x 20'. Also built of stone, the tower was 30' tall and capped with an iron octagonal lantern room housing an eleven-lamp Winslow Lewis array including 14-inch reflectors.
Time, weather and inferior mortar used in construction forced the Lighthouse Board to demolish the original structures and rebuild.
In 1858, construction began on a new duplex limestone dwelling for a Head Keeper and an assistant. The tower was centrally located at the north end of the roof and capped with a nonagonal lantern room housing a Fourth Order Fresnel lens.
In 1946, the United States Coast Guard automated the light with a battery-powered flashing light. In 1986, the Fourth Order lens was removed and stored in the basement. Finally in 1988, the light was extinguished and a steel tower erected.
In 1994, the Friends of Rock Island teamed with the Department of Natural Resources and began the restoration of the Pottawatomie Light and the Rock Island State Park.
2008 marks the sesquicentennial of this historic lighthouse! The Friends of Rock Island plan a Sesquicentennial Celebration to mark this milestone to coincide with the annual Door County Walk on Saturday, May 17, 2008.
