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The Pilot Island Light is a lighthouse located near Gills Rock, on Pilot Island at the east end of Death's Door passage, in Door County, Wisconsin.

Pilot Island Light

Location	Gills Rock, Wisconsin
Coordinates	45°17′3.067″N 86°55′11.012″W[1][2]
Tower
Constructed	1858
Foundation	Concrete
Construction	Milwaukee Cream City brick[3]
Automated	1962
Height	41 feet (12 m)[4]
Shape	Square
Markings	yellow, black lantern and parapet
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Light
First lit	1858
Focal height	48 feet (15 m)[5]
Lens	Fourth order Fresnel lens
Range	12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi)[1]
Characteristic	White, Flashing (2), 6 sec[1]
Pilot Island Light
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
USCG archive photo
Nearest city	Gills Rock, Wisconsin
Area	3.5 acres (1.4 ha)
NRHP reference No.	83004279[6]
Added to NRHP	November 21, 1983

The building's plant is similar to Pottawatomie Light, but is made of brick instead of stone. Until 1910 it was called Port des Morts Island Light. The original fog signal building was converted to a second assistant lighthouse keeper's residence in 1900.[7]

History

Frequent and oppressive fog made the passage hazardous, as well as making it an extremely lonely and forbidding place to work.[8] A fog bell signal was installed in 1862. In 1864 it was replaced by a foghorn. In 1875 it was converted to a steam powered fog siren. In 1880 a separate fog building was built for a "duplicate" fog siren. This began a 10-inch (250 mm) steam whistle and new building in 1900 (which still exists near water's edge).[9] Up to three families at a time lived together in the large building.[10] In 1904, there came a realization that the whistles were "less than effective' and they were replaced by dual diaphones.[3] The horns made living there difficult; fertilized eggs would be destroyed by the sounds.[8]

This island and nearby Plum Island are two of four Wisconsin properties turned over by the U.S. Coast Guard to the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The BLM is working to find new qualified owners, who would be required to care for the properties. The Coast Guard and BLM require the new stewards to maintain the buildings.[11] It is one of ten lighthouses in Door County.[12]

It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 as the Pilot Island Light, reference #83004279.[7]

The lighthouse is owned by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The grounds, dwelling and tower are closed. It is currently "abandoned, overgrown, and overrun" by a large cormorant population.[13]

References

Further reading

External links

• Media related to Pilot Island Lighthouse at Wikimedia Commons
• Pilot Island Light on the World List of Lights
• NPS Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin, Plum Island Rear Range Light, (Archived February 7, 2007
• "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Wisconsin". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.

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