Lighthouses of the U.S.: Illinois

Illinois has two well-known and historic light stations in the Chicago area, plus two pierhead lights. In addition, the Chicago Department of Water maintains lights on each of its four current or former water intake cribs.

There is no Chicago area lighthouse preservation group, and preservation attention has focused almost entirely on the well-known Grosse Pointe Light in Evanston. The pierhead lights of Illinois and Indiana, however, may need to be defended against demolition in the future. The Calumet Harbor Light, technically in Indiana rather than Illinois, was demolished in 1995.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. USCG numbers are from volume 7 of the U.S. Coast Guard List of Lights.

General Sources
National Maritime Inventory - Illinois
Inventory of Illinois lighthouse data.
Seeing the Light - The Lighthouses of Illinois
Outstanding historical accounts and photos posted by Terry Pepper.
Illinois Lighthouses
Excellent photos and travel directions from Kraig Anderson.
Coast Guard Lighthouses - Illinois
Historic photos with notes by Marie Vincent.
Lighthouses of the Great Lakes - Lake Michigan
This site, by Neil Schultheiss, has photos and accounts of most of the lighthouses on the lake.
Leuchttürme USA auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.


Chicago Harbor Light, August 2009
Creative Commons photo by Ellen Prather

Lake County (Waukegan Area) Lighthouses
[Waukegan Breakwater (3?)]
Date unknown (station established 1898). Active; focal plane 32 ft (10 m); two white flashes every 5 s. 30 ft (9 m) round cylindrical "D9" tower, painted white with one black horizontal band. Anderson has a photo. The National Museum of American History has a historic postcard view of the original lighthouse, a "pagoda" style hexagonal wood tower with lantern and gallery. This lighthouse was replaced in 1938, probably by a skeletal tower. Located at the end of the breakwater on the northeast side of Waukegan harbor. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. USCG 7-20335.
* Waukegan Harbor (Little Fort) (2)
1889 (onshore station established 1849). Active; focal plane 36 ft (11 m); green light occulting every 4 s. 35 ft (10.5 m) round cylindrical cast iron tower with gallery, painted white with a broad green band covering the upper third. Anderson has a good photo, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was relocated when the pier was extended in 1905. The lantern and an attached fog signal building were removed after the light station was nearly destroyed by fire in 1967. The Coast Guard has a historic photo showing the lantern, and Pepper has a photo showing the entire station before the fire. Located at the end of Government Pier at the foot of Madison Street in downtown Waukegan. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-875; USCG 7-20315.

Cook County (Chicago Area) Lighthouses
**** Grosse Point
1873 (O.M. Poe). Reactivated (inactive 1941-1946, now privately maintained); focal plane 119 ft (36 m); 2 white flashes every 15 s. 113 ft (34 m) round brick tower encased in concrete, with lantern and gallery, connected by a covered walkway to a 3-story brick keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white, lantern and gallery red. The original 2nd order H. LePaute Fresnel lens (1850) is still in service (this is the only 2nd order lens still in use on the Great Lakes). Two fog signal buildings. Tom Gill's photo is at right, Pepper has historical information and outstanding photos, Anderson also has several good photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. This is a famous lighthouse, recognized as a National Historic Landmark. The keeper's house is Chicago's only maritime museum; one fog signal building serves as a visitor center while the other houses a nature center. Located in Lighthouse Park on Sheridan Avenue at the foot of Central Street in Evanston. Site open, museum and tower open to guided tours Saturday and Sunday afternoons June through September. Owner/operator: City of Evanston. Site manager: Lighthouse Park District. ARLHS USA-359; USCG 7-20190.
Wilson Avenue Crib
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 68 ft (21 m); quick-flashing white light. 47 ft (14 m) round cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery; the light is displayed from a platform built atop the lantern room. Sandor Weisz has a July 2007 photo. Located in the lake about 3 miles (5 km) off Montrose Harbor, on the North Chicago waterfront. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Chicago Department of Water Management. ARLHS USA-1134; USCG 7-20135.
William E. Dever Crib
1935(?). Active (privately maintained); focal plane 72 ft (22 m); quick-flashing white light. Square cylindrical skeletal tower centered atop a large, circular water intake structure. Kirk Kessler has a 2007 photo, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also has a good photo, and the Coast Guard has a historic photo. The NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Reseach Laboratory maintains a weather station on the crib; a NOAA webcam shows the Chicago skyline. This light replaced a light established in 1900 on the adjacent Carter Harrison Crib. (The Dever Crib was built to replace the Harrison Crib, but because of increased water demand the Harrison Crib remained in use until 1997.) Located in the Lake about 3 miles (5 km) off the Chicago River entrance. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Chicago Department of Water Management. ARLHS USA-1248; USCG 7-20040.

Grosse Pointe Light, April 2007
Creative Commons photo by Tom Gill
Chicago Harbor Southeast Guidewall
1938. Active; focal plane 48 ft (14.5 m); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 30 ft (9 m) square pyramidal skeletal tower with upper half enclosed, lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with a single green horizontal band; lantern painted black. Kevin Oliver's photo is at right, Bryan Penberthy has a May 2007 photo, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse marks the entrance to the Chicago River and an inland waterway leading to the Mississippi River. Located on a guidewall on the south side of the river entrance, south of Navy Pier in Chicago. Good views from the south side of Navy Pier. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-930; USCG 7-20000.
Chicago Harbor
1893 (relocated to the breakwater in 1919). Active; focal plane 82 ft (25 m); red flash every 5 s. 48 ft (14.5 m) round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, sandwiched between two 1-story buildings (a fog signal building and a boathouse). Lighthouse painted white, lantern roof black; the building roofs are red. The original 3rd order Fresnel lens, exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, is still in use. Keeper's quarters incorporated in the tower. Ellen Prather's photo is at the top of this page, a fine 2007 photo is available, Anderson has good photos, Schultheiss has an excellent photo by Dave Wobser, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. A unique lighthouse: its design is similar to that of the offshore sparkplug towers, but this tower is taller. The lighthouse was originally built at the Chicago River entrance, where it replaced a lighthouse in service 1832-1852; the fog signal building and boathouse were added during relocation. The tower was restored by the Coast Guard in 1997. In 2005 the lighthouse became available for transfer under NHLPA. The City of Chicago applied for ownership, and after an unusually long period of consideration the Interior Department approved that application in February 2009. Located at the south end of the north harbor breakwater, about 1 km (0.6 mi) east of the Southeast Guidewall Light; the Army Corps of Engineers has an aerial photo of the breakwater. There are good views from the Navy Pier or from harbor sightseeing cruises; the lighthouse can be seen distantly from many places on the Chicago lakefront. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-171; USCG 7-19960.
Four Mile Crib
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 66 ft (20 m); white flash every 15 s. Approx. 30 ft (9 m) hexagonal skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted red. Mike McGhie's photo is below. Visible distantly from Navy Pier. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Chicago Department of Water Management. ARLHS USA-304; USCG 7-19925.

Southeast Guidewall Light, July 2009
Creative Commons photo by Kevin Oliver
68th Street Crib (Dunne Crib)
1909. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 61 ft (20 m); red flash every 3 s. 50 ft (15 m) hexagonal skeletal tower lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted blue; lantern roof is silver-gray. The crib was the main water intake for South Chicago for many years. On January 20, 1909, while it was under construction, it was the scene of a disastrous fire that claimed the lives of 60 workers. Visible distantly from the lakeshore in the Jackson Park-South Shore area. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Chicago Department of Water Management. ARLHS USA-1090; USCG 7-19870.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

  • Fabyan (around 1910), on the Fox River in Geneva, is reported to be active but it is not on navigable water.
  • Grafton (2007), on the Mississippi River, is not an active aid to navigation.
  • Piasa Chautauqua (date unknown), on the Mississippi near Grafton, does not serve as an aid to navigation; it houses a water pump.

Four Mile Crib Light, June 2003
photo copyright Mike McGhie; used by permission

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index

Checked and revised December 30, 2009. Lighthouses: 8. Site copyright 2009 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.