Grassy Island Range Lights

Ceremony completes restoration of Grassy Island Lights

Thanks to Terry Pepper for this announcement, dated October 23, 2005, and to Kim Meyers for the photos of the lighthouses.

The public [was] invited to tour the two range lights that originally stood on Grassy Island one and one-half miles north of the mouth of the Fox River. Built in 1872, the lights helped guide mariners through the narrow channel to the harbor entrance.

Above: The lighthouses open to public, November 5, 2005.
Right: the front range light
Photos copyright Kim Meyers; used by permission.

The lighthouses were decommissioned in the early twentieth century, but remained on the island. Over the years they suffered the effects of the elements in their exposed location and in 1966 they were scheduled to be razed on site. Fortunately for lighthouse enthusiasts and history buffs, the Yacht Club with the cooperation of the US Coast Guard saved the structures from destruction and moved them to the east shore of the Fox River.

Members of the Yacht Club have dedicated countless hours and significant resources to restore the lights, which now stand as symbols of Green Bay's maritime heritage. The lighthouses were placed on the State Register Of Historic Places in 2004 and the National Register of Historic Places the following year.

The Green Bay Yacht Club is located at 100 Bay Beach Road.

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