Celebrating the beacons of Wisconsin's maritime legacy.

Extras

PBS Wisconsin Documentaries: Lighthouse Dog: The Story of Sport

Lighthouse Dog: The Story of Sport

The true tale of a plucky rescue dog who lived aboard the lighthouse tender Hyacinth.

PBS Wisconsin Documentaries: Keeper of the Light

Keeper of the Light

Anna Marie Lux gave up electricity and hot water to live in a Lake Superior lighthouse.

PBS Wisconsin Documentaries: Lighthouse Kids of Long Tail Point

Lighthouse Kids of Long Tail Point

Recollections of two brothers raised at Long Tail Point Lighthouse in the early 1900s.

PBS Wisconsin Documentaries: Gert Wellisch: Savior of Sand Island Lighthouse

Gert Wellisch: Savior of Sand Island Lighthouse

The one-of-a-kind woman who fought to save and preserve Sand Island Lighthouse.

Wisconsin Lighthouses: Illuminating Cana Island

Explore Cana Island

Learn what it took to maintain this iconic Door County lighthouse in this virtual window into life on Cana Island 150 years ago.

Walk the grounds, listen to the sounds, and read the logbooks of daily duties of a lighthouse keeper.

On the illustration: In this series of cutaway images by Caldecott Award-winning illustrator Sophie Blackall (‘Hello Lighthouse‘), you can see what family life was like inside Cana Island Lighthouse.

Explore Cana Island

A still image from an interactive experience that allows users to navigate the Pottawatomie Lighthouse in Door County

Virtual Tour

Pottawatomie Lighthouse

Wisconsin’s first lighthouse stands sentinel on Rock Island. Step into this 3D scan of the 1836 lighthouse, walking from room to room and ascending from the keeper’s quarters up the stairs to the lantern room above.

Explore in 3D

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The Look Back: Pottawatomie Lighthouse

The Look Back

Pottawatomie Lighthouse

The first lighthouse in Wisconsin was built on Rock Island in Door County.

Wisconsin Life: Women in Preservation

Wisconsin Life

Women in Preservation

Mary Beth Volmer founded Women in Preservation to restore historic maritime structures.

University Place: Wisconsin Lighthouses

University Place

Wisconsin Lighthouses

Barb and Ken Wardius share photos and tell the tales of the lighthouses in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Life: Marine Archaeologist

Wisconsin Life

Marine Archaeologist

David Cooper works to preserve the historic light stations of the Apostle Islands.

Funding

Funding for Wisconsin Lighthouses is provided by the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, Dr. Henry Anderson and Shirley Levine, the Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation, Jan Botz and Tom Lippert, the Dwight and Linda Davis Foundation, A.C.V. and Mary Elston Family, The Great Lakes Foundation, Slater Family Fund, RuderWare, The Fund for Lake Michigan, Barb and Mike Madden, Obrodovich Family Foundation, Trust Point, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Alfred H. and June E. Kohlwey Foundation, Laurie and Paul Lata, George Kress Family Foundation, Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programs, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.