North Point Lighthouse
Steven September 23rd, 2010
The North Point Lighthouse is one of Milwaukee’s treasures. The current lighthouse is 74 feet tall and when it was in operation it contained a Forth Order Fresnel Lens. In 2007, the lighthouse and keepers house were completely restored to early 20th century splendor and are now open to the public for tours and visits.
The history of this light is very interesting. It was originally built in 1855 on a bluff 100 feet east of it’s present location. The first tower was 28 feet in height, but because it was on the bluff, it towered 107 feet above Lake Michigan.
In the 1870′s, shore erosion along the bluff caused 16 feet of the lighthouse’s front yard to fall to the the beach below, so the government decided to rebuild the lighthouse 100 feet farther inland. The new lighthouse was finished in 1887 and was 39 feet tall. The keepers quarters were built the next year in 1888.
At the turn of the century another problem hit the lighthouse, the trees in Lake Park began to block the light and ships on the lake could no longer see it. So instead of cutting the trees down, congress in all of it’s wisdom, stopped funding for the lighthouse and it was shut down in 1907. Later that year an organization in Milwaukee went to work to get the light back on. In 1909 a bill was passed and in 1912 work began on a 35 foot steel structure next to the lighthouse. When that structure was finished, the old light tower and it’s lens were rebuilt on top of it to create the 74 foot tower we see today. The lighthouse remained in operation by the US Coast Guard until 1994. The lighthouse is currently owned by Milwaukee County and leased by the North Point Lighthouse Friends.
This photo didn’t take much thought, the composition was right there in front of me. The trees grow in such a way that the lighthouse is perfectly framed by them. Whether the trees grow like that naturally, or have been trimmed that way, I don’t know. It sure makes for a great photo though.
I knew immediately that this was going to be a black and white image. I wasn’t looking to give it an old time feel, I just wanted a nice black and white photo. The contrast of the white house and tower work great with the dark trees. Though the sky is overcast and washed out, it isn’t as much of an issue in black and white as it is in color. I really like how this image turned out.
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