Rawley Point Lighthouse, A Beacon on Lake Michigan for 130 Years

BOB FAY PHOTO 2013; 1894 Rawley Point Lighthouse and 1874 Keeper’s Dwelling

Manitowoc County has many historic landmarks. One of the most interesting structures is the Rawley Point Lighthouse operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, four miles north of Two Rivers, adjacent to Point Beach State Forest.

Government lighthouses at Rawley Point (also known as Twin River Point and Two Rivers Point) have guided Lake Michigan mariners since 1874, when a brick tower, 85-feet tall, and a two-story attached keeper’s dwelling were built. The prominent sandy point of land in Section 16 of the Town of Two Rivers is named for Peter Rowley, an early settler in the region.

Many shipwrecks attest to the treacherous shoals and dangerous waters at the point and the need for a lighthouse to guide and warn vessels. The most tragic sinking occurred on October 29, 1887, when the steamer Vernon went down during a northeast gale. Dozens of crew members and passengers perished. Only one person survived.

On June 19, 1894, The Manitowoc County Chronicle reported Andrew Allen, head lighthouse keeper at Twin River Point, had informed the Two Rivers newspaper that a steel tower was to be erected that season, replacing the old brick structure which, according to the U.S. Lighthouse Board, continued ‘to crack and crumble.’ By the end of October 1894, work on the tower was fast nearing completion.

Interestingly, the replacement tower was the discontinued Chicago River Light Station, built in 1859 and part of the U.S. Lighthouse Board exhibit at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.

After the fair, the skeletal iron tower was dismantled and shipped to Twin River Point, where it was reassembled. During reconstruction, metalwork was added at the base to increase the tower’s height and enclose the spiral staircase.

The octagonal design of the metal lighthouse featured eight support columns, anchored in concrete piers, and a complex network of horizontal struts and diagonal tie rods. A central spiral stairway with 132 steps, enclosed in a central supporting column, provided access to a double set of watch rooms.

BOB FAY PHOTO 2011; Steel structure of 1894 lighthouse

The top lantern room was equipped with a third-order Fresnel lens, transferred from the original brick tower and installed on November 20, 1894. It was operated by a clockwork mechanism which was daily wound by hand, like a grandfather clock. The light, illuminated by vapor lamps, was electrified in 1920. The lens was replaced after one of the glass prisms was damaged in 1952.

In 1890 a steam fog whistle in a fireproof building, 24 × 50 feet, was built close to the lake. Two large coal-fired boilers were used to supply the steam. The high shrieking blast of the fog horn could be heard in the city of Two Rivers. Other buildings on the grounds included a boathouse, oil house, paint storage locker, garage, storage barn and two outhouses.

After the light station was completed, the old brick tower remained standing until 1895 when the top portion was taken down to the level of the keeper’s dwelling roofline and the lower section became part of the living quarters. A New Year’s Day fire badly damaged the north section of the home in 1962, but was repaired.

The Rawley Point Lighthouse was staffed until 1979, when the station became fully automated. The rotating white beacon light, 113 feet above the lake surface, is one of the brightest on the Great Lakes. It can be seen by ships more than 20 miles away and operates from a half hour before sunset until a half  hour after sunrise.

BOB FAY PHOTO 2011; Bob Fay standing on the narrow walk around the tower atop the Rawley Point Lighthouse in 2011

The Rawley Point Lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. An official state historical marker, commemorating the lighthouse, was erected in Point Beach State Forest in 1995. The lighthouse may be viewed and photographed from the beach and state forest. Public tours normally are not available. Three units in the keeper’s dwelling at Rawley Point may be rented by Coast Guard and other U.S. military personnel.

In 2011, I had the opportunity to climb to the top of the lighthouse. The panoramic view of the lake, beach and forest was impressive and memorable!