The Eagle Bluff Light, also known as Eagle Bluff lighthouse, or simply Eagle Bluff, is a lighthouse located near Ephraim in Peninsula State Park in Door County, Wisconsin. Construction was authorized in 1866, but the lighthouse was not actually built until 1868 at a cost of $12,000. It was automated in 1926. Restoration work began on the Eagle Bluff Light in 1960 and was completed in 1963, upon completion the Lighthouse was opened for tours. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.[3]
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| Location | Ephraim, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°10′07.3″N 87°14′11.98″W / 45.168694°N 87.2366611°W[1] |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1868 |
| Foundation | Concrete |
| Construction | Cream City brick |
| Automated | 1926 |
| Height | 43 feet (13 m) |
| Shape | Square[2] |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place  |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1868 |
| Focal height | 23 m (75 ft) |
| Lens | Third and 1/2 order Fresnel lens |
| Range | 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi)[2] |
| Characteristic | White, Flashing every 6 sec[2] |
Eagle Bluff Lighthouse | |
| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1868 |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000032[3] |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1970 |
Geography
editLocated in what is modern-day Peninsula State Park. Situated on a 76-foot bluff that overlooks the Strawberry Channel, Eagle Bluff's mission is to illuminate the islands located in the middle of the strawberry channel. This mission is what gives Eagle Bluff its nickname "The Guardian of the Strawberry Channel".[4]
Much of Door County is located on the Niagara Escarpment. The escarpment makes it very hard to dig into the soil of Door County and for this reason it is very unusual to have a basement in Door County. Eagle Bluff has two basements. One under the tower and one under the keeper's residence.
Door County Historical Society
editThe Door County Historical Society, also known as DCHS, has maintained the Eagle Bluff Light from 1960 to the present day.[5] DCHS was responsible for the restoration of Eagle Bluff. These restorations were led by a woman known as Ida Bay.[6] Currently DCHS is raising money to reconstruct the barn, and the summer kitchen that were originally located on the property. To this day DCHS runs tours through the keeper's residence and the tower of Eagle Bluff.
Keepers
editThere were three keepers who maintained the Eagle Bluff Light: Henry Stanley, William Duclon, and Peter Coughlin.
Henry Stanley (1868–1883)
editWilliam Duclon (1883–1918)
editThe longest serving keeper in Eagle Bluff's history, William Duclon and his wife Julia Duclon (née Davenport) raised their seven sons in this lighthouse. Eagle Bluff has been restored to the time period of the Duclons, some of their original possessions can be seen on display in the home today.
The youngest son of William and Julia, Walter Duclon, helped with the restorations of Eagle Bluff. He provided personal stories, artifacts, and family documents to help aid in the creation of the museum that is now housed in the keeper's residence.
Peter Coughlin (1918–1926)
editGallery
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Eagle Bluff Light
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Other side of the tower
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USCG archive photo
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Eagle Bluff Lighthouse
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Outhouse for the keeper
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1868 cornerstone
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View of the Strawberry Islands from the lighthouse
Further reading
edit- Havighurst, Walter (1943) The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes, Macmillan Publishers.
- 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: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes". Archived from the original on 2022-04-02.
- Sapulski, Wayne S., (2001) Lighthouses of Lake Michigan: Past and Present (Paperback) (Fowlerville: Wilderness Adventure Books) ISBN 0-923568-47-6; ISBN 978-0-923568-47-4.
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3.
References
edit- ^ Eagle Bluff Lighthouse in Lighthouse Resources: Historic Lighthouses & Light Stations, United States Coast Guard
- ^ a b c Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2014.
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ The Sturgeon Bay Maritime Museum
- ^ "Eagle Bluff Light Station". Door County Historical Society. 2018-12-19. Archived from the original on 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
- ^ Badtke, Frances (1964). Eagle Lighthouse. Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin: Door County Publishing Co. p. 39.
External links
edit- Eagle Bluff Lighthouse Museum - official website
- Door County Lighthouses, Door County Marine Museum.
- Eagle Bluff Light entry in Seeing the Light (Archived May 9, 2021)
- Lighthouse friends article
- NPS Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin (Archived June 12, 2012)
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Eastern Wisconsin". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Wisconsin". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
- Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.