This article is about the historic range lights in Wisconsin. For the lighthouse in New York State, see Plum Island Light. For the historic lighthouse in Rhode Island, see Plum Beach Light.
The Plum Island Range Lights are a pair of range lights located on Plum Island in Door County, Wisconsin. Plum Island was transferred to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 2007 and became part of the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Plum Island is seasonally open to the public for day-time use.
Plum Island is an island at the western shore of Lake Michigan in the southern part of the town of Washington in Door County, Wisconsin, United States. Plum Island is physically located between the mainland of Door County and Washington Island, in the channel known as Death's Door due to the large number of shipwrecks in the channel.[6]
A lighthouse was first built on Plum Island in 1849, but was abandoned in 1858 and the light moved to nearby Pilot Island.[7]
The front and rear range lights were built at the same time as the United States Life-Saving Station that was established on Plum Island in 1895-6, though the two stations would be separately administered until the US Lighthouse Service and USCG merged in 1939.[7] The lights were originally lit in 1897 and are 1,650 feet (500 m) apart, aligned on a 330° bearing line to guide boats safely into the Porte des Morts Passage. The Plum Island front range light was originally identical to the front range light of the Baileys Harbor Range Lights, but was replaced by a modern skeletal light in 1964 and both lights were automated in 1969.[7] The rear range light is the original tower and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, as the Plum Island Range Rear Light, reference number #84003659. The front light is directional, aligned on 330.5° true. The rear light is omnidirectional and is powered by an LED light. The original 4th order Fresnel lens was removed from the tower in 2015 and is on display at the Death's Door Maritime Museum in Gills Rock, WI.[8]
Nearby Pilot Island and Plum Island were two of four Wisconsin properties turned over by the U.S. Coast Guard to the United States Bureau of Land Management. Large expenses for toxic waste-site environmental remediation were an impediment to transfers and restoration of the Plum Island site.[9] Both islands were finally transferred to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 2007 and became part of the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge.[10] Significant numbers of nesting colonial birds are found on the islands.[11]
The lighthouse keeper's house and Coast Guard station were listed as being among Wisconsin's ten most endangered historic properties in April 2000.[9][12][13] All of the maritime structures on Plum Island were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.[14] The Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands, Inc. have partnered with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to restore the life-saving station and range lights on Plum Island.[10]
Getting thereedit
Plum Island
Upon taking control of the island, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service initially closed Plum Island to public access to "ensure necessary protection of ground nesting migratory birds."[15] The island was opened to the public for seasonal day-time use in 2017. The island can be visited by private boat, kayak, or limited ferry from Gills Rock. Multiple hiking trails are available, however, buildings on the island are not generally accessible.[16]
Referencesedit
^Plum Island Range Front Light and Plum Island Range Rear Light in Lighthouse Resources: Historic Lighthouses & Light Stations, United States Coast Guard, October 1, 2019
^ by Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light June 21, 2004, (Archived January 20, 2022)
^"Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, Plum Island Rear Range (Lake Michigan) Light ARLHS USA-608".
^University of Wisconsin Sea Grant. . Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
^ abc"History". Friends of Plum & Pilot Islands. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
^. Door County Maritime Museum. 10 May 2017. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
^ abFoss, Matt (n.d.). "Saving the U.S. Life-Saving Station on Plum Island" (PDF). Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands, Inc. p. 30. Retrieved March 23, 2011.[permanent dead link]
^, Fish and Wildlife Journal, Midwest Region, May 16, 2008, (Archived May 9, 2009)
^United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) (October 31, 2010). "Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge Historic Boathouse Receives a New Coat of Paint". USFWS. Retrieved March 23, 2011.[permanent dead link]
^United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). . USFWS. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
^Jackson Parr (9 June 2017). "Discovering Plum Island: Historic Island Now Open to Public". Door County Pulse. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
Further readingedit
Eckert, Jack A. Life on Pilot Island in 1955. 2007-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
Havighurst, Walter (1943) The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes, Macmillan Publishers.
Oleszewski, Wes, Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN0-932212-98-0.
Pepper, Terry, Seeing the Light, Plum Island Range lights.
Lighthouse Friends - Plum Island Range Lights
Robb, David, Recollections of Plum Island at Seeing the Light.
Sapulski, Wayne S., (2001) Lighthouses of Lake Michigan: Past and Present (Fowlerville: Wilderness Adventure Books) ISBN0-923568-47-6; ISBN978-0-923568-47-4.
Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN1-55046-399-3.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plum Island Range Lights.
Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands
NPS Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin 2007-02-07 at the Wayback Machine
Plum Island Range Lights 2016-06-02 at the Wayback Machine at Door County Maritime Museum
Cleanup Completed at Wisconsin's Plum Island
. United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
April 08, 2024
plum, island, range, lights, this, article, about, historic, range, lights, wisconsin, lighthouse, york, state, plum, island, light, historic, lighthouse, rhode, island, plum, beach, light, pair, range, lights, located, plum, island, door, county, wisconsin, p. This article is about the historic range lights in Wisconsin For the lighthouse in New York State see Plum Island Light For the historic lighthouse in Rhode Island see Plum Beach Light The Plum Island Range Lights are a pair of range lights located on Plum Island in Door County Wisconsin Plum Island was transferred to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 2007 and became part of the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge Plum Island is seasonally open to the public for day time use Plum Island Range LightsLocationPlum Island Door County USCoordinates45 18 29 N 86 57 29 W 45 308 N 86 958 W 45 308 86 958TowerConstructed1896 Plum Island Range rear lightRear range light with houseConstructed1896 Constructionconcrete foundation iron tower Automated1960s Height20 m 66 ft Shapeskeletal 1 2 3 MarkingsKRW 4 HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place First lit1897 Focal height24 m 79 ft Lensfourth order Fresnel lens Range14 nmi 26 km 16 mi CharacteristicF R Plum Island Range Rear LightU S National Register of Historic PlacesNearest cityGills Rock WisconsinArea0 5 acres 0 20 ha MPSU S Coast Guard Lighthouses and Light Stations on the Great Lakes TRNRHP reference No 84003659 5 Added to NRHPJuly 19 1984Plum Island Range front lightArchive photo of front range lightConstructed1896 First lit1897 Contents 1 History 2 Getting there 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External linksHistory editPlum Island is an island at the western shore of Lake Michigan in the southern part of the town of Washington in Door County Wisconsin United States Plum Island is physically located between the mainland of Door County and Washington Island in the channel known as Death s Door due to the large number of shipwrecks in the channel 6 A lighthouse was first built on Plum Island in 1849 but was abandoned in 1858 and the light moved to nearby Pilot Island 7 The front and rear range lights were built at the same time as the United States Life Saving Station that was established on Plum Island in 1895 6 though the two stations would be separately administered until the US Lighthouse Service and USCG merged in 1939 7 The lights were originally lit in 1897 and are 1 650 feet 500 m apart aligned on a 330 bearing line to guide boats safely into the Porte des Morts Passage The Plum Island front range light was originally identical to the front range light of the Baileys Harbor Range Lights but was replaced by a modern skeletal light in 1964 and both lights were automated in 1969 7 The rear range light is the original tower and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 as the Plum Island Range Rear Light reference number 84003659 The front light is directional aligned on 330 5 true The rear light is omnidirectional and is powered by an LED light The original 4th order Fresnel lens was removed from the tower in 2015 and is on display at the Death s Door Maritime Museum in Gills Rock WI 8 Nearby Pilot Island and Plum Island were two of four Wisconsin properties turned over by the U S Coast Guard to the United States Bureau of Land Management Large expenses for toxic waste site environmental remediation were an impediment to transfers and restoration of the Plum Island site 9 Both islands were finally transferred to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 2007 and became part of the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge 10 Significant numbers of nesting colonial birds are found on the islands 11 The lighthouse keeper s house and Coast Guard station were listed as being among Wisconsin s ten most endangered historic properties in April 2000 9 12 13 All of the maritime structures on Plum Island were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 14 The Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands Inc have partnered with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to restore the life saving station and range lights on Plum Island 10 Getting there edit nbsp Plum Island Upon taking control of the island the United States Fish and Wildlife Service initially closed Plum Island to public access to ensure necessary protection of ground nesting migratory birds 15 The island was opened to the public for seasonal day time use in 2017 The island can be visited by private boat kayak or limited ferry from Gills Rock Multiple hiking trails are available however buildings on the island are not generally accessible 16 References edit Plum Island Range Front Light and Plum Island Range Rear Light in Lighthouse Resources Historic Lighthouses amp Light Stations United States Coast Guard October 1 2019 Plum Island Range Lights by Terry Pepper Seeing the Light June 21 2004 Archived January 20 2022 Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society Plum Island Rear Range Lake Michigan Light ARLHS USA 608 Light List Volume VII Great Lakes PDF Light List United States Coast Guard 2014 National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service March 13 2009 University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Wisconsin s Great Lakes Shipwrecks Death s Door Wisconsin University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute Archived from the original on December 3 2010 Retrieved March 23 2011 a b c History Friends of Plum amp Pilot Islands Retrieved 2023 09 03 Plum Island Fresnel Lens Door County Maritime Museum 10 May 2017 Archived from the original on 21 July 2021 Retrieved 20 July 2021 a b D Entremont Jeremy Islands at Death s Door October 2003 Lighthouse Digest Archived March 26 2016 a b Foss Matt n d Saving the U S Life Saving Station on Plum Island PDF Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands Inc p 30 Retrieved March 23 2011 permanent dead link Lighting the Way for the Future of Plum and Pilot Islands Fish and Wildlife Journal Midwest Region May 16 2008 Archived May 9 2009 Rowlett Russ Lighthouses of the United States Eastern Wisconsin The Lighthouse Directory University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Wobser David Plum Island Range Lights Archived 2009 08 02 at the Wayback Machine at boatnerd com United States Fish and Wildlife Service USFWS October 31 2010 Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge Historic Boathouse Receives a New Coat of Paint USFWS Retrieved March 23 2011 permanent dead link United States Fish and Wildlife Service USFWS Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge USFWS Archived from the original on December 2 2013 Retrieved March 23 2011 Jackson Parr 9 June 2017 Discovering Plum Island Historic Island Now Open to Public Door County Pulse Retrieved January 28 2019 Further reading editEckert Jack A Life on Pilot Island in 1955 Archived 2007 04 13 at the Wayback Machine Havighurst Walter 1943 The Long Ships Passing The Story of the Great Lakes Macmillan Publishers Oleszewski Wes Great Lakes Lighthouses American and Canadian A Comprehensive Directory Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses Gwinn Michigan Avery Color Studios Inc 1998 ISBN 0 932212 98 0 Pepper Terry Seeing the Light Plum Island Range lights Lighthouse Friends Plum Island Range Lights Robb David Recollections of Plum Island at Seeing the Light Sapulski Wayne S 2001 Lighthouses of Lake Michigan Past and Present Fowlerville Wilderness Adventure Books ISBN 0 923568 47 6 ISBN 978 0 923568 47 4 Wright Larry and Wright Patricia Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Erin Boston Mills Press 2006 ISBN 1 55046 399 3 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plum Island Range Lights Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands NPS Inventory of Historic Light Stations Wisconsin Archived 2007 02 07 at the Wayback Machine Plum Island Range Lights Archived 2016 06 02 at the Wayback Machine at Door County Maritime Museum Cleanup Completed at Wisconsin s Plum Island Historic Light Station Information and Photography Wisconsin United States Coast Guard Historian s Office Archived from the original on 2017 05 01 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Plum Island Range Lights amp oldid 1197363685, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
