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Manitowoc Breakwater, WI |
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Description:
The first lighthouse to mark the harbor at Manitowoc was constructed in 1839, making it one of the older lights on Lake Michigan. The present structure was built in 1918, and sits at the end of a long breakwater that protects the harbor. An elevated catwalk once allowed the keepers who dwelt on shore to tend the light in inclement weather. The tower originally housed a fifth-order Fresnel lens, which was removed in 2002 and placed on exhibit in the nearby Wisconsin Maritime Museum. A more modern tower marks the end of the south breakwater. In 2009, the Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse, deemed excess by the Coast Guard, was offered at no cost to eligible entities, including federal, state, and local agencies, non-profit corporations, and educational organizations under the provisions of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000.
Location: Located at the end of the northern breakwater in Manitowoc's harbor. Latitude: 44.09266 Longitude: -87.64365 For a larger map of Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse, click the lighthouse in the above map or get a map from: Mapquest. Travel Instructions: From Interstate 43 southwest of Manitowoc, take exit 148 and follow Highway 151 to downtown Manitowoc. Highway 151 will eventually become Washington Street, from which you will turn left onto 8th Street and cross the Manitowoc River. Just after the river, turn right onto Maritime Drive and follow it to the marina. The fifth-order Fresnel lens used in the Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse is on display at the nearby Wisconsin Maritime Museum. The lighthouse is owned by the Coast Guard. Grounds open, tower closed. Find the closest hotels to Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse See our List of Lighthouses in Wisconsin |
