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Historic beacon getting new life |
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Historic beacon getting new lifePort lighthouse being restored to former gloryBy ANNE DAVIS
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In
a New Light
Port Washington - For years, the small brick building perched on top of a hill was Port Washington's most visible landmark. The light from its tower helped sailors and fishermen plot their course along Lake Michigan.
With the tower and light long gone, the old light station now sits secluded above the city's bustling downtown and tourist center, not easily apparent to visitors or residents. A group of dedicated volunteers is working to change that.
For the past year, the Port Washington Historical Society - with an unexpected boost from overseas - has been actively restoring the light station. The relic of the city's maritime past will be turned into a replica of a light keeper's quarters featuring a collection of local artifacts.
"I think it's important to preserve that part of our maritime history before it has slipped from our collective memory," said Linda Nenn of Port Washington, co-chairman of the restoration effort.
The society has been using the building, 311 Johnson St., as a museum since 1993 when it leased it from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Four years later, the Coast Guard decided it didn't need the structure and eventually sold it to the city with the understanding that the historical society was responsible for its upkeep.
The station, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, is operated under the auspices of the National Park Service.
Last summer, Georges Calteaux, minister of sites and monuments for Luxembourg, toured the station during a visit to Ozaukee County, where many residents have Luxembourg roots.
He admired the lighthouse but asked about the tower, which had been removed in 1934 after the station was taken out of active use.
Inspired by the renovation efforts, Calteaux volunteered to have a replica tower and light built in Luxembourg at the country's expense.
Work is now under way and the tower is scheduled to be flown to Port Washington sometime next spring. It will be finished on site with a dedication ceremony set for June.
Cost of the project is estimated at between $100,000 and $150,000.
Nenn and other volunteers are still amazed at the gift, which is intended as a thank-you for United States assistance to Europe during World War II. It is also a tribute to those who emigrated to the Port Washington area from Luxembourg.
"It's a really intriguing project, the whole link with Luxembourg," said Jeanne Lambin, field representative for the Midwest Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Chicago, who has worked closely with the society on the effort.
"This is completely unique in how it's being carried out."
Unheard-of gesture of support
Wisconsin's rich ethnic heritage has resulted in other preservation projects with international support but having another country actually pay for and supply a key part of the renovation is unheard of, Lambin said.
James Hyland, president and founder of the Lighthouse Preservation Society in Newburyport, Mass., agreed.
The non-profit group is dedicated to saving American lighthouses and has successfully lobbied for federal support and recognition of local efforts like that in Port Washington.
"I've never heard about anything like this," Hyland said. "It's very gratifying to see these lighthouses get rescued."
Lighthouses played a significant role in American history, Hyland noted.
They were one of the first great civil engineering projects and were often used to introduce new communication technologies.
Before the advent of trucks and airplanes, the country was heavily dependent on its waterways for transportation of people and supplies. Lighthouses helped make that system safe.
"The construction of lighthouses is considered to be the first great work of the American people," Hyland said flatly.
The need for lighthouses decreased during the 20th century and the Coast Guard automated all lights, eliminating the need for keepers to manually maintain the signals.
As a result, many stations fell into disrepair. Beginning in the 1980s, the Coast Guard has actively sought to get rid of many abandoned stations, selling them to governmental agencies or non-profit groups.
Preservation efforts have increased and last November Congress passed the National Lighthouse Preservation Act, which lays out specific guidelines for the buildings' safekeeping.
Port's second lighthouse
Port Washington's lighthouse was the second built by the city. It replaced the smaller, original lighthouse built on the same site in 1849, 14 years after the city was founded. As the restoration has proceeded, Nenn and others have found signs that the current building was actually constructed using parts of the original structure.
In 1870, an artificial harbor was built in Port Washington to accommodate ship traffic. Lights were hung at the edge of the pier but a lighthouse at the end of the pier was not constructed until 1889. Several years later, the lighthouse on the hill was taken out of service.
In 1934, the structure was remodeled to become a two-family house.
Nenn has pored over documents to assist in turning the light station into a faithful reproduction of the way it looked around the turn of the century.
She has consulted Mequon resident Jeanette Dallmann, who lived in the building from 1919-'24. Her grandfather, Captain Charles Lewis, was the last resident light keeper.
Cost of the renovation is estimated at $165,000. Much of the work is being done by Nenn and other volunteers. Local companies have also donated labor and supplies.
The project has received a $15,000 matching challenge grant from Port Washington State Bank and a $24,000 coastal management grant from the state. The National Trust for Historic Preservation provided money to help defray the cost of an architect.
Kathleen O'Donnell, president of Tripartite Inc., in Chicago, signed onto the project last year, in part because of her connections with Calteaux.
He is a distant cousin and she worked with him for a summer in Luxembourg while she was in architecture school.
She specializes in historic preservation and has worked on several high-profile projects, including restoration of the Water Tower in Chicago.
Her personal connections prompted her to donate part of her fee for work on the Port Washington lighthouse.
The effort has been challenging because of the need to satisfy local, state and national guidelines, she said. There are also different building requirements for the renovation work and an existing upstairs apartment that the society intends to maintain.
One of the most immediate challenges will be deciding what to do about the exterior.
There have been repairs to the original brick and the entire surface was painted over at some point. Work is under way to remove the paint. Once that is done, the society will have to assess the condition of the brick and determine whether to make more repairs or simply repaint it again, according to O'Donnell.
Progress has been slow but steady, said Nenn, a former teacher with a longtime passion for American history.
A relative newcomer to Port Washington - she has lived here since 1959 - she believes her non-native status makes her more curious about reminders of the city's past, such as the lighthouse.
"As a county of immigrants, I have a feeling that for a lot of them the lighthouses were one of the first symbols of America they saw they when they came here," she said. "They just represent a unique aspect of our history that needs to be preserved."
For more information, call (262) 284-7240.
Appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Sept. 30, 2001.
