Historical Lighthouses

On September 8, 1900, Charles Duclon, one of the seven sons of lighthouse keeper William Duclon and his wife Julia, took Edith Gehrke of Baileys Harbor as his wife. The wedding was held at Eagle Bluff Lighthouse. The few photographs of the event testify to the weather being fine enough for the celebration to be held outside on the lighthouse grounds. Additionally, photos show the bridal couple sitting near the lighthouse for their formal wedding portrait. Edith, wearing a dark dress highlighted with a corsage, clutches the marriage certificate. Standing behind the couple are their witnesses, Millie Gessler (a friend of the bride) and Frank Duclon (youngest brother of Charles). Another photograph shows the makeshift bar that was set up by spanning two chairs with a bench. The "barmaid" is Nellie Noble, a family friend from Fish Creek.

   The Duclons were a fun-loving family and very popular both in Fish Creek and Shanty Bay, the small community of fisher folk and farmers who lived in what is now Nicolet Bay Campground. Accordingly, there was probably a good crowd in attendance to wish the newlyweds well and join in the festivities. Since the Duclons were a musical family and the boys were known for their traveling band, which played at dances and other events throughout the county, it is quite possible they played music so their guests could enjoy some country dancing at the wedding.

This information is based on the research of Steven Karges in his wonderful book, Keepers of the Lights, on oral histories in Fish Creek Voices (edited by Edward and Lois Schreiber), and on photographs generously supplied by Patti Podgers at Eagle Bluff Light, Eunice Rutherford at the Gibraltar Historical Association, and June A. Larson at the Door County Maritime Museum, Sturgeon Bay.

The lighthouse on Rock Island, known as Pottawatomie Light (after a local tribe of Native Americans) is the oldest lighthouse in Wisconsin. The original tower and lantern began operation in 1838, marking the passage between St. Martin Island and Rock Island, at that time, the primary entryway into Green Bay. In 1858, these structures were replaced by the current lighthouse; however, the footprint of the original dwelling is still visible near the southwest corner of the lighthouse. The 1838 stone privy remains on its original location and is the oldest building in the state. The 1858 lighthouse is a two-story affair with a partially exposed cellar. It was constructed of limestone quarried onsite and features a square wooden tower projecting through the roof of the north gable.

   Abraham Capers was appointed keeper of the light in 1865. He moved into the first floor of the lighthouse with his wife Paulina and their growing family (seven children by the time he resigned his post in 1870). A native of Maine, Capers lost a leg fighting in the Civil War. In addition to maintaining the lighthouse and the lamp, he was well-known for his abilities as a gardener, growing especially fine sweet corn and cabbages. He also raised a few horses.

   In 1866 the Capers were joined by the Abram Grover family. Grover, another veteran from Maine, had been appointed assistant keeper. He and his wife Dolly moved into the lighthouse's second floor. Dolly conducted school in the cellar of the lighthouse for the Capers children as well as for the children of the dwindling fishing village located on the island’s south end. Grover was a fisherman at heart and pursued that vocation while serving at Pottawatomie Light. Eventually, he resigned his post and moved his family to Washington Island, where the 1870 census listed his occupation as "fisherman."

This information is largely based on the research of Steven Karges in his wonderful book, Keepers of the Lights. Additional facts were generously provided by Pottawatomie Lighthouse docents, Tim Sweet and Jim Johnston, and the 1870 U.S. Census for Washington Island.

The lighthouse at Cana Island was built in 1869. The tower and dwelling were both originally built of Cream City brick from Milwaukee. However, due to exposure to severe elements, the brick on the tower began to deteriorate rapidly. By 1902, heavy steel plates were riveted to the tower and painted a bright white, giving it the appearance by which it is recognized today. A frame summer kitchen was added to the main dwelling sometime before 1883, as were a small barn and wood plank walkway surrounding the tower and dwelling and connecting them to the outbuildings.

    This, then, was the setting when Jesse Brown was appointed keeper of the Cana Island Light in 1891 and moved in to the lower level of the house with his wife Hannah and their six sons. (The upper floor was reserved for an assistant keeper and his family.) The boys helped Jesse with the usual maintenance chores around the lighthouse and grounds. Since there were no girls in the family, the boys probably assisted Hannah with tending the animals and garden, hauling all the water used by the household from Lake Michigan, and splitting wood for cooking and heating.

    On September 30, 1893, heavy weather struck, forcing the schooner Windsor aground on a reef just southeast of the lighthouse. The Windsor, loaded with cedar, was bound for Chicago. Continued bad weather through the fall prevented off-loading of the cargo and much of it washed ashore on Cana Island. A local man, Captain David Clow, Jr., was hired to bring in a crew to retrieve the cargo that littered the shore and what remained on the abandoned schooner. 

This information is based on the research of Steven Karges in his wonderful book, Keepers of the Lights.

Lewis Williams was the first and longest-serving keeper (1868–1889) of the Chambers Island Lighthouse. He and his wife, Anne, lived on Chambers Island and sold 30 acres of their land to the Lighthouse Board on which the lighthouse was to be built. The lighthouse and tower are a virtual twin of Eagle Bluff Light, with the exception of the top floor of the tower, which is octagonal in shape rather than a square like its sister on the Door Peninsula. Supposedly this difference in construction was to aid mariners in distinguishing between the two lights. Whereas Eagle Bluff Light guided sailing vessels through the narrower and more dangerous channel between the Strawberry Islands and the mainland, Chambers Island Light guided ships around the western side of the island through the channel most commonly used to access the city of Green Bay. In 1868, when the lighthouse was built, workers also built a privy just behind the lighthouse and a wood-frame boat house on the shore with boatways to enable the station's boats to be easily hauled ashore. The existing landing dock was also lengthened and fortified against the waves of the open waters of the bay.

   Keeper Williams and his wife raised 10 children and one grandchild in the lighthouse. The children helped to maintain the lighthouse and assisted with chores for the large family. The older boys supplemented the family's income and food supply with fish from the teeming waters of Green Bay.

   East of Chambers Island were the Strawberry Islands, evidently named for their abundance of strawberry plants. Chambers Island also had a fair supply of the red berries, which Williams cultivated into extensive patches so well known in the area that visitors came by boat from Fish Creek and across Green Bay from Menomonee to pick strawberries and picnic on the island. Part of the allure was Williams himself, a most gracious and generous host, who often rounded out the visitors' picnics with strawberry pies or strawberries and cream.

This information is based on the research of Steven Karges in his wonderful book, Keepers of the Lights, and on the U.S. Census for the period.

Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, along with a sturdy brick privy, was built in 1868 on a high bluff overlooking Green Bay, north of Fish Creek. By 1876, a wooden fence enclosed the clearing in which the lighthouse stood. A woodshed and stone fence were erected in 1877, followed by the summer kitchen sometime before 1883 and a small barn in 1893—all courtesy of the U.S. Lighthouse Board. Water for washing and laundry came from the cistern near the summer kitchen, but a yoke and buckets were used to haul water for the garden and animals up the bluff from Green Bay. A wooden walkway connected all the buildings.

   William Duclon was keeper at Eagle Bluff Light from 1883 to 1919. "Captain" Duclon and his wife, Julia, were the parents of seven boys. They all lived at the lighthouse year-round, with some of the older sons bringing their brides to live there for a brief time, as well. Since there were no girls in the family, the younger boys helped their mother with household tasks and tended to the animals and garden. The older boys helped their father maintain the grounds and buildings, split wood, and hunt and fish throughout the year. Julia, in addition to cooking, baking, and maintaining the house for such a large tribe, was an accomplished quilter whose skill with a needle was known throughout the region.

This information is based on the research of Steven Karges in his wonderful book, Keepers of the Lights.

William Duclon was keeper at Eagle Bluff Lighthouse from 1883 to 1918. "Captain" Duclon and his wife Julia were the parents of seven, all sons. Naturally, the boys helped both parents in maintaining the lighthouse and in various housekeeping duties, since there were no daughters to carry water, tend to the gardens and animals, and help Julia with the demands of the large household. Living so close to the water, the boys turned to fishing both in summer and winter, initially to supplement the family's food supply and, later when they grew up, to provide fish for the population of Door County and beyond. By the 1890s, Duclon Brothers was one of the leading commercial fisheries in the area. During the winters, the boys probably dropped lines through the ice and fished with gill nets to catch the herring and lake trout, which teemed in the fresh waters of the bay. Once navigation closed for the winter in Green Bay and the light was extinguished for the season, Captain Duclon would join his sons in their fishing business.

This information is based on the research of Steven Karges in his wonderful book, Keepers of the Lights.