The Eagle Bluff Light, also known as Eagle Bluff lighthouse, or simply Eagle Bluff, is a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

located near

Ephraim Ephraim (; he, ''ʾEp̄rayīm'', in pausa: ''ʾEp̄rāyīm'') was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph ben Jacob and Asenath. Asenath was an Ancient Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughte ...

Peninsula State Park Peninsula State Park is a List of Wisconsin state parks, Wisconsin state park with eight miles (13 km) of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay shoreline in Door County, Wisconsin, Door County. Peninsula is the third largest state park in Wis ...

in Door County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Construction was authorized in 1866, but the lighthouse was not actually built until 1868 at a cost of $12,000. It was automated in 1926. Restoration work began on the Eagle Bluff Light in 1960 and was completed in 1963, upon completion the Lighthouse was opened for tours. The lighthouse was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1970.

Geography

Located in what is modern-day

. Situated on a 76-foot bluff that overlooks the Strawberry Channel, Eagle Bluff's mission is to illuminate the islands located in the middle of the strawberry channel. This mission is what gives Eagle Bluff its nickname "The Guardian of the Strawberry Channel". Much of Door County is located on the

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States that runs predominantly east–west from New York through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and into Illinois. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff over ...

. The escarpment makes it very hard to dig into the soil of Door County and for this reason it is very unusual to have a basement in Door County. Eagle Bluff has two basements. One under the tower and one under the keeper's residence.

Door County Historical Society

The Door County Historical Society, also known as DCHS, has maintained the Eagle Bluff Light from 1960 to the present day. DCHS was responsible for the restoration of Eagle Bluff. These restorations were led by a woman known as Ida Bay. Currently DCHS is raising money to reconstruct the barn, and the summer kitchen that were originally located on the property. To this day DCHS runs tours through the keeper's residence and the tower of Eagle Bluff.

Keepers

There were three keepers who maintained the Eagle Bluff Light: Henry Stanley, William Duclon, and Peter Coughlin.

Henry Stanley (1868–1883)

William Duclon
(1883–1918)

The longest serving keeper in Eagle Bluff's history, William Duclon and his wife Julia Duclon (née Davenport) raised their seven sons in this lighthouse. Eagle Bluff has been restored to the time period of the Duclons, some of their original possessions can be seen on display in the home today. The youngest son of William and Julia, Walter Duclon, helped with the restorations of Eagle Bluff. He provided personal stories, artifacts, and family documents to help aid in the creation of the museum that is now housed in the keeper's residence.

Peter Coughlin (1918–1926)

Gallery

References

External links

Eagle Bluff Lighthouse Museum
- official website

(Archived May 9, 2021)
Lighthouse friends article
(Archived June 12, 2012) * * * {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1868 Lighthouses in Door County, Wisconsin Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Museums in Door County, Wisconsin Lighthouse museums in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Door County, Wisconsin