Follow me on Twitter My Tweets; Blogroll. It is constructed from riveted steel and sits on a large concrete base in 35’ of water. Feb 22, 2015 - As Hurricane Sandy ravaged the east coast of the United States, its effects could be seen as far west as Lake Michigan. The Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse will open in 2016 as a museum and event space for up to 75 people under a $2.5 million restoration plan led by nonprofit Optima Enrichment. By Alfred Schreiber . 6/2/12 22 comments Taken on June 2, 2012 The Milwaukee Breakwater lighthouse … The Commissioner of Lighthouses requested $229,800 in 1923 for establishing aids to navigation and improving existing aids at Milwaukee, noting that upon the completion of the work Milwaukee Lightship, which cost $19,000 to maintain each year, could likely be discontinued. “A Small Slice of Life – Milwaukee Breakwater Light Station,” Jack A. Eckert. Report this profile; Activity. T The two-story steel lighthouse keeper's quarters are in the art deco style. end at Erie Street. Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse Banquet & Silent Auction Friends of the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse are hosting a Banquet and Silent Auction to raise funds for the restoration of the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse. Under a $74,558 contract, Racine-Truscott-Shell Lake Boat Company built Milwaukee Lightship, (LV 95/WAL 519) in 1911 – 1912. These are some of the incidents that occurred during that time. The basement is occupied by fog-signal machinery and heating plant and rooms for storage of fuel oil and other supplies. Although it is rarely visited, at least once a year the Coast Guard visits to perform mandatory inspections. Nine years later, the Coast Guard had to rescue Richard and Charles Rogan, sons of Keeper Rogan, along with four other boys, when their rowboat was caught in a squall near the breakwater lighthouse. Take a rare look inside the historic Milwaukee breakwater light facility. Jack Eckert was assigned to Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse in 1955, at which time the station was staffed with four coastguardsmen. In September 2013, the lighthouse was awarded to Optima Enrichment. The lighthouse is a white-painted steel tower guarding the main entrance to the harbor. The boys were crossing a street when a truck and trailer turned the corner, and Michael, Jr. was struck by a projecting trunk and knocked under the wheels. We are looking for parnters or various sponsors to help join us in this project. exit (1F) and go north to Michigan Street. The Milwaukee Pierhead Light is an active lighthouse located in the Milwaukee harbor, just south of downtown. The Milwaukee Breakwater lighthouse is located in the harbor of Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. I was on the lighthouse between 1949 and 1953. The north arm of the breakwater starts near North Point and extends southeast for 2,450 feet before turning south and continuing another 1,000 feet. Alfred Schreiber was an assistant keeper at the time and was painting North Point Lighthouse when he heard about the accident. The lighthouse is owned by Optima Enrichment. It was built to withstand heavy weather and waves when Lake Michigan is at its roughest. The 108.5-foot, steel-hulled vessel sank at the contractor’s docks in Muskegon, Michigan on December 26, 1911, and was not raised until February 20, 1912. A second $50,000 was appropriated in 1907, but after $75,000 was awarded for a lightship at Milwaukee in 1908 and $10,000 was allocated for the restoration of North Point Lighthouse in 1909, the Lighthouse Board decided not to pursue the construction of a major light for the breakwater. LighthouseFriends.org; SeeingTheLight; USLighthouses; Wikipedia Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse Friends. See all 4 photos taken at Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse by 80 visitors. He must have inadvertently unhooked it, and the heavy weight of the staging pulled him off.”. The great importance of this entrance required a station and signal of high class. It is not open to the public, but can be viewed from the end of Erie Street. Funnel-like lighthouse marking breakwater in 1914, Breakwater lighthouse under construction in October 1926, Breakwater lighthouse under construction in 1927. The main breakwater entrance would be located directly offshore from the mouth of the river, and would be marked by a major lighthouse on the southern end of the northern breakwater and a minor light on the northern end of the southern breakwater. The upper block was not moused. While it can be difficult for people to get to the lighthouse, it is fun to look at, and a unique piece of history. Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse. Fog signal: A type F diaphone is installed in the fourth story or watch room of the tower just below the lantern. Milwaukee Breakwater Light A four mile concrete breakwater protects Milwaukee harbor and the mouth of its river from cruel and punishing storms that form on Lake Michigan and slam against the shoreline. The building above the main deck is 43 feet 2 inches by 29 feet 5 inches, of structural steel framework covered with steel plating, and has a flat concrete roof. In the 1920s, a breakwater was extended from the southern shore of Milwaukee Bay to form an enclosed outer harbor at Milwaukee. Structure: The foundation pier, inclosing a basement, is of reinforced concrete, 54 by 60 feet, 20 feet high above water, and rests on a subfoundation formed by three reinforced concrete caissons, each 20 by 54 feet, 21 feet 3 inches deep, standing side by side on a stone fill 4 feet deep over a bottom of natural clay, and above these caissons a reinforced concrete slab 54 by 60 feet and 7 ½ feet deep. The north arm of the breakwater starts near North Point and extends southeast for 2,450 feet before turning south and continuing another 1,000 feet. Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse In 1882, work began on a breakwater at Milwaukee to create a harbor of refuge to afford mariners a protected anchorage during severe storms. First Assistant: George Rogan (1928 – 1936), Michael M. Rotta (1936 – 1941), Frank M. Bourissau (1940 – at least 1943), Alfred Schreiber (1949 – 1953). Follow these simple instructions to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Commercial current is transmitted to the station at 480 volts furnishing current at 110-volts for the radiobeacon tower and dwelling lights, and at 440 volts for the air compressors. The steel foremast was hollow and equipped with an interior ladder that allowed the light to be service without exposing a person to the weather. In some photos, the lighthouse is barely visible. Each day, they also had to clean the cobwebs from the lantern room, where spiders “came in all sizes, shapes, and colors.” Spider bites on the station were just a way of life. The lighthouse had a keeper until 1926, when the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse was built across the harbor. 95) which was stationed three miles offshore. “The view of both the Milwaukee skyline as well as Lake Michigan (from the lighthouse) is a spiritual experience that we want to share with our community and tourists alike. Milwaukee Boat Line, Milwaukee Picture: Lighthouse and breakwater on Lake Michigan - Check out Tripadvisor members' 16,335 candid photos and videos of Milwaukee Boat Line The main light is located at the south end of the north breakwater in 34 feet of water. Mr. Uihlein of Schlitz Brewery, who had provided the station with a large black and white television set just before Eckert began his duty at the breakwater, also offered to provide the station with beer, but that offer was politely declined by the officer-in-charge. Print Only He was keeper of Milwaukee Pierhead Lighthouse for several years before being placed in charge of all the lights in Milwaukee in 1941. It has been painted white since 1936. From The $100,000 was accordingly carried to the surplus fund. The second floor contains four bedrooms, closets, and bathroom. This work was made necessary by the extension of the breakwater to inclose an outer harbor with a restricted entrance. Description : This lighthouse, owned and operated by the United States Coast Guard, is an active aid to navigation. Zion House, submitted an application for the lighthouse, but after a tour of the structure, UWM dropped out, and Optima Enrichment and Mt. The tower is built 14 feet from the second floor and is 53 feet tall overall. Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse 0885 A image of the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse as viewed from the Sky Glider on the summerfest grounds in downtown Milwaukee adjacent to Lake Michigan. Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse - Lake Michigan - Milwaukee Wisconsin The blue moon, illuminated red by the setting sun, rises over Lake Michigan and the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse. The main deck slab and roof slab are waterproofed with asphaltic membrane, protected by a concrete slab with asphalt expansion joints. Lawrence University. Besides the television, Eckert filled his free time taking correspondence courses and keeping an eye on fishermen near the station, who would sometimes climb the steel ladder up to the lighthouse and enter announced using their “taxpayer rights.”, In June 2011, Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse was declared excess to the needs of the United States Coast Guard and made available to eligible organizations under the provisions of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. The lighthouse sits about in the middle of the four-mile stretch of breakwater barriers that protect the Milwaukee waterfront. The first floor contains a boat room, kitchen, living room, and dining room. This station is provided with a radiobeacon with 200-watt transmitter, the emergency current supply for which is furnished by a gasoline-driven generator. After a gap of 400 feet, the south arm of the breakwater runs another 4,500 feet. Oil-engine-driven compressors provide emergency service in case of failure of the commercial current supply. A large wave is breaking against the side of the Milwaukee breakwater lighthouse. In August 1926, George Rogan, Jr., Keeper Rogan’s five-year-old son, was watching workmen make repairs to the pierhead fog signal when he fell into the water and drowned. X. Built in 1926, the lighthouse remains one of the last examples of a fully-enclosed breakwater lighthouse on the Great Lakes as it sits in the middle of the four-mile stretch of breakwater barriers. Find the closest hotels to Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse, Select a photograph to view a photo gallery. Chamberlin Group will be the project development manager for the restoration of the lighthouse, which is expected to cost up to $2.5 million. The lighthouse is still an active aid to navigation today and has been automated since the 1960s. It protects the entrance to the Milwaukee River. View Website Log in or the items will not be saved Log in Continue Without Saving Favorite 4020 N 128th St - Brookfield, WI 53005 Information: 414-747-7188 View Map Share. “The Chief and Dick Skolwig were on duty at the Lighthouse that fateful day,” recalled Schreiber. They check the wiring, sound signal, lights and do what they can to make sure it is operating the way it should be. George Rogan was an assistant keeper at the pierhead and harbor lights for nearly twenty years before being placed in charge of Big Point Sable Lighthouse in 1936. The upper light was shown at a focal plane of forty-and-a-half feet and the lower light at thirty-two feet. Qualified entities were given sixty days to submit a letter of interest and were required to obtain permission to access the lighthouse from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which owns the pier on which the lighthouse sits. The Crossover Bowrider revolution, pioneered and p... Boston Whaler's Bold New 220 and 250 Dauntless, Formula's All-New 500 Super Sport Crossover. Second Assistant: Charles A. Linsmeier (1928 – 1934), Clarence J. Anderson (1934 – 1935), Michael M. Rotta (1935 – 1936), Edwin O. Matson (at least 1939 – 1940), Knox Cole (at least 1943), Richard Skolwig (at least 1951 – at least 1952). MILWAUKEE BREAKWATER LIGHT STATION CIRCA 1949-1953. The Milwaukee Breakwater lighthouse sits on the far south end of a detached mile long break wall that protects the Summerfest Grounds and Pier Wisconsin, and is a half-mile directly east of the Hoan Bridge Harbor opening. The left hand tackle became unhooked at the top railing and the Chief fell to the concrete crib in front of the propane tanks and doorway. LIGHTHOUSEMILWAUKEE BREAKWATER Our Goals This oft-photographed landmark is an oasis from In 1882, work began on a breakwater at Milwaukee to create a harbor of refuge to afford mariners a protected anchorage during severe storms. The men served three-days on and three-days off, and two of them were always at the lighthouse, where they stood watches of twelve-hours on and twelve-hours off. The lightship continued its duty until 1932. Zion House decided to combine their efforts. Other improvements in aids in this project include acetylene lights at Milwaukee Entrance South Side and Milwaukee South Pierhead; installation of a 300-watt electric lamp in the fifth-order lens at Milwaukee Pierhead; modernizing the dwelling for the North Pierhead Light and North Point Light and changing the fourth-order fixed lens at the latter station to a fourth -order lashing lens with a 500-watt lamp. Video by Mike De Sisti “No one knows exactly what happened. Ships accessing the protective waters of the harbor sail through a small aperture. The Milwaukee Breakwater lighthouse was built in 1926, automated in 1966, and the lens removed in 1994. The Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse has shown since 1926, and now you can help make the experience a reality! The lighthouse is still an active aid to navigation, although automated since the 1960s. It is located where the Milwaukee River flows out into Lake Michigan, marking the mouth of the river to traveling ships. The Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse was one of the many lighthouses needed to light up the four-mile stretch of breakwater barriers that protect the Milwaukee waterfront in Wisconsin. The Coast Guard also rescued three other vessels near the breakwater that day when the seas proved too much for amateur sailors. Work on this new lighthouse, “a white pyramid, surmounted by a shaft, having two glazed belts forming the lanterns, surmounted by a dome,” was completed in October, and its lights were activated on the twenty-fourth of that month. Additional equipment: this station is electrically operated throughout. Waves pummel the breakwater lighthouse on Lake Michigan in December. In 1902, while the Lighthouse Board was waiting for funding for a new breakwater light, metalwork was delivered to Milwaukee, and the post light at the southern end of the breakwater was enclosed in a white, hexagonal structure. Copyright © 2020 Great Lakes Boating | Published by Harris Publishing, Inc. Breakwater Lighthouse Construction of breakwaters to create "a harbor of refuge" at Milwaukee was started in 1881, and completed in 1930. The white-painted steel tower lighthouse guards the main entrance to the harbor. It rests on a 23 feet high concrete pier. Besides these lights, minor lights were also placed to mark two other entrances through the breakwater: the northern entrance, and the southern entrance. Three nonprofit groups, Optima Enrichment, the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (UWM), and Mt. Want to know when we have important news, updates or interviews? Commercial current transmitted by submarine cable furnishes current for the air compressor. Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse as we seek to share with the public the historic landmark just off the Hoan Bridge. The Milwaukee Breakwater Light marks the approach (map). After MILWAUKEE was painted in white on the lightship’s red hull, the vessel took up its station three miles offshore from the breakwater on November 1, 1912. Third Assistant: Michael M. Rotta (1928 – 1935), Herbert W. Fadel (1936 – 1942), Thomas Brandys (at least 1943), John Kobe (at least 1951 – at least 1952). The Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse was completed in 1926. There is a ship on the left, in the distance beyond the jetty. We are hoping to open it to the public for events like Doors Open Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Braves were having a good year in 1955, and their televised baseball games were a big hit at the station. This aid to navigation is a 'sister' of the Kenosha North Pier Light. 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