The Wisconsin Wind Point Lighthouse is located in the Village of Wind Point, Wisconsin on the banks of Lake Michigan, near the north end of Racine Harbor. The lighthouse is one of the major tourist attractions of the Village and it is maintained by the local village.
The lighthouse was requested by the Racine Point locals to prevent schooners from getting stuck on the rocky banks of the river. However, Congress did not accede to the requests and repeated requests had to be made before the lighthouse was finally built in 1878. Congress allocated $40,000 for building the lake coast lighthouse and its fog signal, and after its completion, locals starter referring to it as the Wind Point Lighthouse instead of the Racine Point Lighthouse. According to local legend, there was a tall windblown tree on the same spot and it was replaced by the lighthouse, which then made the locals refer to the lighthouse as Wind Point.
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The lighthouse was designed by Orlando Metcalf Poe, a prominent architect of the time and it was completed by 1880. The beacon on the lighthouse was originally powered by kerosene but with changing times, it was converted to electricity. The lighthouse was built from granite and consists of an inner wall and an outer wall with two distinctive features found in almost all lighthouses of the time.
The tower has masonry gallery supports and even arch topped windows. The interior has a spiral cast-iron staircase with more than 144 steps leading to the top. The lighthouse still works but it is now maintained by the village of Wind Point which has adapted the Keepers Quarters into a community hall and into the local Police headquarters. In the year 2007, the lighthouse tower was renovated again and several interior and exterior structures were replaced.
Visitors are welcome to the lighthouse and its grounds. Also, the hall is open for rental for special events. Local artists also have recorded the lighthouse and its surrounding area in the form of artwork and sculptures. There are all sorts of paintings, ashtrays, wall hangings, tapestries and a range of other memorabilia which replicate the Wisconsin Wind Point Lighthouse.
