Manitowoc, WI

Photographer: Roy B. Westin

Photo below right courtesy of: U.S. Coast Guard

Manitowoc

Manitowoc, WI

Built : 1849, 1895, 1918

Type : Square, integral steel and concrete

Status : Active

Location : Manitowoc Harbor, WI

Height : 52 feet

Access : Car, and short walk down the walkway and breakwater. Use caution on breakwater.

Directions : Take I-43 North to exit #149 head East on Hwy 151 till highway ends. Continue straight onto Calumet Ave. about 1.2 miles to 26th St. and turn North. Go 0.1 miles to Custer Ave. and turn East. Custer changes to Washington St. after on block. Follow this to 8th St. and turn North. Right after crossing the bridge turn East onto Maritime Dr., this will take you to Manitowoc Marina where you can park.

History of the Light : This steel framed lighthouse stands on a concrete foundation. The current light was first lit in 1918. The cylindrical tower in integral with the keeper's quarters. It's characteristics are white with a black lantern. The original lens used in 1918 was a Forth Order Fresnel. The light was automated in 1971 and still operates an active aid to navigation.

The Manitowoc area at one time was one of the busiest ports around the Great Lakes at the turn of the Century. Lexington, MI had, at the time, the worlds largest privately owned fleets. These ships took passenger and railcars across Lake Michigan to Manitowoc, WI, cutting hundreds of miles off the land route around Lake Michigan. Shown above is the only operating ship of that fleet left, the S.S. Badger. There is a Maritime Museum that you will pass on your way to the Light. It is only a short walk from the Lighthouse parking area.