This light is located in Milwaukee just north of downtown. The first lighthouse on North Point was built in 1855. It stood 28 feet tall and was located 100 feet east of the current tower. Erosion forced the rebuilding of the tower in the 1870's and relocated to its current location. This tower was a 10-sided cast iron structure measuring 14 feet in diameter at the base and 9 feet 6 inches in diameter below the watchroom. The height was 39 feet from the base to the top of the ventilator ball. On March 4, 1909 congress appropriated $10,000 to raise the height. Work began in July 1912 and completed in April 1913 at a cost of $9,445. The light had a steel plate lower section built and the iron tower placed on top, giving the light a height of 160 feet above the lake. The new structure measured 21 feet 6 inches in diameter at the base. The total height of the new structure was 74 feet from the base to the top of the ventilator ball, producing a focal plane above the water of 154 feet, giving the light a range of 21 miles. The lens which is still in place was probably installed in 1888 and is a fourth order fresnel, manufactured by Barbier Benard & Turenne of Paris. It consists of four 90 degree panels including two flash panels. The equipment still intact, although no longer used includes a clockwork turning mechanism driven by a weight which fell down a central weight shaft, turning the lens and thus imparting the flash. Martin Knudsen was the lighthouse keeper from 1917 to 1924.
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