The first light built on the Kenosha piers was completed in 1856. It was a small 12 foot tall wooden structure, added when the 1844 timber piers were extended. The light was destroyed in a violent storm in 1860, and it wasn't until 1867 when a replacement light was built. An elevated wood walkway connected the new 30 ft. tall tower to shore, allowing safe passage to the light during storms.
|
The piers were continually being extended over the decades, and the light picked up and moved further out 5 different times. A newer pier and breakwater wall was built to replace the old timber piers, with a new north pierhead light added in 1906. The 50 ft. tall conical steel tower featured a 4th Order Fresnel lens, but was replaced in the 1960's with a 250mm Tidelands Signal Optic.
|
