The Eagle Bluff Light, also known as Eagle Bluff lighthouse, is a lighthouse located near Ephraim in Peninsula State Park in Door County, Wisconsin, United States. Construction was authorized in 1866, and the lighthouse was built in 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 in 1970.
Geography The lighthouse is located in Peninsula State Park, situated on a 33-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".The Sturgeon Bay Maritime Museum
Much of Door County is located on the Niagara Escarpment. 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 (DCHS) has managed and preserved Eagle Bluff Light Station since 1960, when it was granted permission to restore the long-neglected lighthouse and open it to the public. After a restoration completed in 1964, the site became a popular Door County attraction. In recent years, DCHS restored the lighthouse, oil house, and privy while reconstructing the historic barn and summer kitchen to return the property to its appearance during the Duclon family's residency (1883–1918). Today, the Society operates Eagle Bluff Light Station as a museum, offering tours through the keeper's residence, light tower, barn visitor center, summer kitchen, and other historic buildings, allowing visitors to experience the daily life of a 19th-century lighthouse keeper.
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
Further reading Havighurst, Walter. The Long Ships Passing: The Story of the Great Lakes. Macmillan Publishers, 1943. Oleszewski, Wes. Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses. Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, 1998. .
Sapulski, Wayne S. (2001) Lighthouses of Lake Michigan: Past and Present. Fowlerville: Wilderness Adventure Books) ; . Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia. Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia. Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006. .
External links Eagle Bluff Lighthouse Museum - official website Door County Lighthouses, Door County Marine Museum. Eagle Bluff Light entry in Seeing the Light (Archived May 9, 2021) Lighthouse friends article NPS Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin (Archived June 12, 2012)