Kewaunee Pierhead Light

Perched on the south pier at the entrance to the harbor of Kewaunee, Wisconsin, the lighthouse marks the waterway to assist navigation.

The tower is a square structure built of steel and brick with a wood‑frame upper section and painted white. It rises 43 ft above the pier, projects a white fixed beam visible for 15 nautical miles, and originally employed a fifth‑order Fresnel lens.

The first light marking the entrance was established in 1889 on the north pier. In 1912 a new south pier was constructed and an open‑frame tower with an attached fog‑signal building was erected. The present square tower was assembled in 1931 by placing the light on the roof of the fog‑signal building, replacing the open frame. Automation arrived in 1981, and the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.

The light remains operational. The City of Kewaunee obtained ownership in September 2011, and the Friends of the Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, raise funds for its preservation. The historic Fresnel lens was removed on June 6, 2019 and a Vega VLB‑44 LED fixture now provides the beam.

Light and tower

It was first lit in 1889. It was automated in 1981.