Port Washington Light

The Port Washington Light is a historical lighthouse in Port Washington, Wisconsin. Replaced by the Port Washington Breakwater Light and converted to a normal dwelling, it was restored with the assistance of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and currently serves as a museum.HistoryRequests for a lighthouse for the harbor were first presented to congress in 1845, and in 1848 $3,500 was appropriated for construction. This light was completed in 1849 and consisted of a tower and separate keeper's house, both constructed of Cream City brick. The tower was somewhat over tall and was equipped with an array of five Lewis lamps with 14in reflectors. It was lit for the first time on May 8, 1849. In 1856 a sixth-order Fresnel lens was installed. This lamp was from the ground and above the water.Starting in 1859 the lighthouse was "rebuilt". In fact a more or less entirely new brick structure was constructed, reusing some elements and materials of the older dwelling. The design of the new house, of two-stories with roof tower, was also used for the Pilot Island Light and others in the area. A sixth-order lens was to be installed, thought to be retained from the previous light; however it is known that a fourth order lens was installed in 1870. This lens, at above the water, gave the light a range of 18mi.The 1859 building housed one keeper and his family. An office was on the first floor and a watch room on the second. Charles Lewis Sr. was the keeper from 1874 to 1880, when he died. His wife took over briefly, then his son Charles Lewis Jr. maintained Port Washington's lights for many years.