Kenosha North Pier Light

Situated on Kenosha's north pier, this lighthouse guides vessels entering the harbor on Lake Michigan. It sits on a concrete pier foundation, marking an important maritime navigation point on the lake.

The tower rises 50 ft and is formed as a frustum of a cone, its walls of cast‑iron plates. It is painted red with a black lantern and parapet topping the structure. The light’s focal plane is also 50 ft above the water, projecting a red isophase signal that repeats every six seconds. Its beam reaches 11 nmi and originally employed a fourth‑order Fresnel lens; today it uses a 250 mm acrylic Fresnel optic.

A light station at this location was established in 1856, and an earlier Kenosha Light was first lit in 1848. The present tower was constructed in 1906 as a replacement for the older structure, and the beacon was automated in 1925.

The aid remains active and is listed in the United States Coast Guard Light List today. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008 and continues to be maintained as a functioning navigational aid.

Light and tower

It was first lit in 1848. It was automated in 1925.