Introduction
Today, Long Tail Point, a protected nature reserve in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is celebrated for its sandy beaches and migratory birds. Amidst this natural beauty stands a peculiar historical marker: a stone lighthouse, long unused, known as the First Long Tail Point Lighthouse. This solitary ruin is the only structure from the Point’s past that has endured over a century of extreme weather, bureaucratic challenges, and the relentless forces of change — a profound irony given its obsolescence.
The Point’s history unfolds not as a single narrative, but as three distinct lives spanning 125 years. Through verified historical records, this analysis traces the parallel fates of these three structures, their dedicated keepers, and the powerful forces that ultimately dismantled everything but the very first, seemingly unbreakable, tower.
I. The Irony of the Unbreakable Stone (First Lighthouse: 1848 – 1859)
The first structure at Long Tail Point was indeed built to last. Stones were gathered from nearby Bay Settlement and transported across the water using scows — flat-bottomed boats adept at navigating shallow waters with long poles.1 First lit in 1848, the tower boasted thick walls, a testament to its intended durability and permanence.2
However, the structure was abandoned just over a decade later in 1859. The ever-shifting sands of the point and rising lake levels caused the foundation to become partially submerged, making the light ineffective. The light apparatus was removed and salvaged for use in the next structure.2
The Ultimate Irony
The ultimate irony arrived years after the light was abandoned. Former keeper William Mitchell (1863–1878) was eventually given the tower by the government, intending to salvage the stone for new harbor projects. Mitchell attempted to dismantle the structure but failed spectacularly. The tower, retired for being structurally obsolete, was found to be so well-built that it was “impervious to bar and pick”.2
The failure to demolish the tower in the 1870s became the central irony of the Point: the structure, deemed obsolete and supposedly threatened by high water, proved stronger than any force man or nature could throw at it. The stone tower stood as a silent testament to the unnamed masons who constructed it.
This inherent durability saved the ruin once more in the early 1900s, when new plans arose to dismantle it for harbor stone. However, a committee led by Commodore Arthur C. Neville and Judge Carlton Merrill, recognizing the tower’s unique place in the area’s maritime history, wrote directly to officials in Washington urging its protection. Their collective effort convinced authorities to deny the demolition order due to its historical significance. This official recognition secured its silent survival to this day, confirming that the First Lighthouse’s enduring integrity was its most permanent legacy.2
II. The Dwelling and The Dedication (Second Lighthouse Dwelling: 1859 – 1936)
In 1859, a new solution to the rising water problem materialized: the construction of the Second Lighthouse. Built on higher ground nearby, it served as a proper two-story keeper’s dwelling, with the light now mounted on the roof. The structure’s base was reinforced with iron to provide stability against the uncertain foundation of the sandy point.2
Community and Isolation
Under keepers like George A. Gaylord (1880–1899), the light became a popular, if isolated, destination. It was not uncommon for parties to visit the light by boat during the summer.2 Newspaper accounts confirm that the keepers were welcoming hosts: a June 1883 clipping noted that a party of twenty went to the lighthouse where “ice cream and lemonade were served”.4 Another article, from June 1885, states that a “pic-nic supper is to be served” at the lighthouse.5
However, the dedication required for the job was profound. Assistant Keeper Pitt Simons is the ultimate example of this sacrifice. Though he was over the age limit of 50 for official service, he was employed by the head keeper, George A. Gaylord, and classified only as a “laborer” for the last four years of his career. Simons served at the station for “about sixteen years”.6 An 1891 article noted that a trip to the mainland for his pension was the first time in seven years he had “slept off the island,” proving his astonishing level of commitment.7 Simons was finally relieved due to “old age” at 71 in August 1899.
A Lasting Home
The dwelling remained a home long after its light was moved to the new crib structure. From 1911 to 1935, Assistant Keeper Andrew Weber and his wife, Alice, raised their children on the point, providing them with a truly unique and isolated childhood. Far from the mainland, the children transformed the sandy reserve into their own wilderness playground. As two of the grown children later recounted in a PBS interview, their childhood was defined by nature and freedom: they spent their days following deer through the reserve, chasing ducks along the shoreline, and having the entire island as their backyard. The Second Lighthouse, despite its functional origins, offered one family an idyllic, unforgettable home life.8
III. The Crib Light and The End (Third Lighthouse: 1899 – 1973)
By the late 1890s, the channel had shifted again, and the dwelling light was too far inland, forcing boats to stop when they sighted it. The Green Bay Press-Gazette noted that the “present house is far inland and boats are obliged to stop when they sight it,” demanding a new, offshore structure.9
The new crib light was built on a stone foundation supported by piles. It was commissioned on August 1, 1899, with Louis Hutzler serving as its first keeper.10 Keepers now had to commute daily from the old dwelling.
Automation and The Dwelling’s End
The station’s life as a manned post concluded when the light was automated in 1936, and the keeper’s quarters were subsequently sold off. The dwelling met an ignominious end during a harsh winter when the purchaser attempted to move the building across the ice. The transportation effort failed spectacularly after a trailer wheel broke through the ice, leaving the structure stranded. Its wood was eventually salvaged, ironically ending up used not for another home, but as material for a local silo in Suamico.2
Destruction by Nature
The Third Lighthouse stood for 74 years until its abrupt end in 1973. A powerful spring storm, bringing winds up to 75 mph and massive waves, struck the crib structure. The force was so immense that the Press-Gazette reported the crib light was simply “swept away” overnight.11 It was gone the next day, leaving behind only the concrete pier. This foundation was later repurposed for a small, automated navigational light, designated Number 18.2
Conclusion: A Call for Respect and Protection
The three lives of Long Tail Point offer a crucial lesson: the enduring power of history and the relentless forces of nature. The only structure to survive this long narrative is the original, unbreakable 1848 stone tower—a monument to stubborn permanence.
Today, the Long Tail Point ruins are more than just a historical footnote. They are a tangible, irreplaceable marker demanding our attention. The site holds dual significance: as a protected nature reserve vital to migratory birds, and as a silent testament to the keepers like Pitt Simons and the structural excellence of the builders. Respecting the Point today means recognizing this dual role. We must ensure the environmental health of the beach while paying due respect to the silent, hard-won survival of this unique historical marker.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scow
↩︎ - Encyclopedia of Great Lakes Lighthouses.
↩︎ - https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=634
Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20250425025815/https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=634
↩︎ - Green Bay Press-Gazette. June 28, 1883.
↩︎ - Green Bay Press-Gazette. June 3, 1885.
Sourced from https://newspapers.com
↩︎ - Green Bay Press-Gazette. August 19, 1899.
Sourced from https://newspapers.com
↩︎ - Green Bay Press-Gazette. December 30, 1891.
Sourced from https://newspapers.com
↩︎ - https://www.pbs.org/video/gert-wellisch-savior-of-sand-island-lighthouse-zebivi/
Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20250808061633/https://www.pbs.org/video/gert-wellisch-savior-of-sand-island-lighthouse-zebivi/
↩︎ - Green Bay Press-Gazette. August 19, 1899.
Sourced from https://newspapers.com
↩︎ - Green Bay Press-Gazette. March 27, 1899.
Sourced from https://newspapers.com
↩︎ - Green Bay Press-Gazette. April 13, 1973.
Sourced from https://newspapers.com
↩︎