Southport Lighthouse
Simmons Island
Kenosha, WI

History:
This light is located next to Simmons Island Park in Kenosha. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is being restored by the Kenosha County Historical Society. The tower now displays a metal replica of the original lantern room which makes it look dignified once more.

Located on Lake Michigan in Kenosha (formerly called Southport), Wisconsin, on a hill slightly upriver from the lake, in Simmons Island Park.

Built 1848, the 40-foot gray brick tower was totally re-built in 1866. The detached. L-shaped, two-story tan brick keepers dwelling survives from 1848. The tower held a Fourth Order Fresnel Lens

The light became obsolete when the Kenosha North Pier Light was established in 1906, and was decommissioned at that time but the keeper continued to live in dwelling. A storm warning tower was secured to the tower in 1913 and used until 1953.

The tower was undergoing restoration, by the Kenosha County Historical Society, when these pictures were taken in 1991. The station is on the National Register as a historic site. The original cupola and lantern were removed in 1959. They were replaced by a replica in 1994.

Source: Internet Public Library

Source: Lighthouses of the Great Lakes

Latitude/Longitude: 42.589445,-87.815709

Nearest Address: 5117 4th Ave, Kenosha, WI

• From I-94 take exit 342 and head east on Route 158.
• Stay on Route 158 for 6.6 miles until you come to Route 32.
• Take a left on Route 32.
• In 0.2 miles, take your second right onto 50th St.
• Go over the bridge, stay to your right, and you'll see Southport Lighthouse on your left. Just beyond Southport lighthouse, around the corner, is Kenosha Pierhead Lighthouse.

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