Chicago Pierhead Lighthouse

July 22, 2019
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Chicago Pierhead Lighthouse, Chicago, Illinois

CHICAGO LIGHT

Location: North harbor pier
Station Established: 1832
Year Current/Last Tower(s) First Lit: 1859
Operational: no
Automated: 
Deactivated: 1893
Foundation Materials: 
Construction Materials: steel
Tower Shape: skeletal
Height:
Markings/Pattern: 
Characteristics: 
Relationship to Other Structure:
Original Lens:
Foghorn:   

Historical Information:

  • 1832 – First Chicago lighthouse built.
  • 1859 – Skeletal structure built on North harbor pier.
  • 1871 – Grosse Point becomes main light to direct maritime traffic into the Chicago River.
  • 1893 – Chicago Harbor light built to replace the skeletal lighthouse.
  • 1894 – Lantern and upper watch room moved to Rawley Point, WI.

Keepers:

  • George W. Snow (Head Keeper 8/15/1833 – 9/10/1833)
  • Samuel C. Lasley (Head Keeper 9/10/1833 – 12/31/1834)
  • William M. Stevens (Head Keeper 1/1/1835 – 1839, 9/1841 – 7/1/1842)
  • John C. Gibson (Head Keeper 1839 – 9/1841)
  • Silas Meacham (Head Keeper 7/1/1842 – 12/4/ 1844)
  • James Long (Head Keeper 12/4/ 1844 – 7/19/1849)
  • Charles Douglass (Head Keeper 7/19/1849 – 5/19/1853)
  • Henry M. Fuller (Head Keeper 5/19/1853 – 2/19/1855)
  • Mark Beanbien (Head Keeper 2/19/1855 – 10/7/1859)
  • Morris Walsh (Head Keeper 10/7/1859 – 3/27/1861)
  • John Lobstine (Head Keeper 3/27/1861 – 11/27/1866)
  • Leonard Miller (Head Keeper 11/27/1866 – 9/28/1869)
  • Mrs. Magdalene Miller (1st Assistant Keeper 7/5/1867 – 9/28/1869)
  • Charles H. Boynton (Head Keeper 9/28/1869 – 1/6/1874)
  • Mrs. Emily Boynton (1st Assistant Keeper 9/28/1869 – 11/8/1869)
  • Amassa J. Boynton (1st Assistant Keeper 11/8/1869 – 9/23/1871, 4/1/1872 – 7/1/1872)
  • O. B. Gardner (1st Assistant Keeper 9/23/1871 – 1/4/1872)
  • Anthony Hagan (1st Assistant Keeper 7/6/1872 – 4/29/1873, Acting 1st Assistant Keeper 4/8/1874 – 6/21/1875, Head Keeper 6/21/1875 – 12/10/1887)
  • Adilon Benoit (1st Assistant Keeper 4/29/1873 – 8/11/1873)
  • Charles F. Raven (Acting 1st Assistant Keeper 8/11/1873 – 4/8/1874, Acting Head Keeper 4/8/1874 – 6/21/1875)
  • James Peterson (Acting 1st Assistant Keeper 7/23/1875 – 9/29/1875, 1st Assistant Keeper 9/29/1875 – 4/1/1876)
  • Hans L. Hansen (Acting 1st Assistant Keeper 4/1/1876 – 11/16/1876, 1st Assistant Keeper 11/16/1876 – 4/3/1878, Acting 1st Assistant Keeper 3/29/1880 – 7/10/1880, 1st Assistant Keeper 7/10/1880 – 5/27/1881, Head Keeper 2/10/1888 – 7/1/1890)
  • Christian Hagan (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 11/11/1876 – 3/29/1877)
  • Hans L. Hagenson (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 3/29/1877 – 9/27/1877; 2nd Assistant Keeper 9/27/1877 – 4/3/1878; Acting 1st Assistant Keeper, 4/3/1878 – 6/27/1878; 1st Assistant Keeper 6/27/1878 – 3/29/1880)
  • Otto Tennyson (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 4/3/1878 – 3/30/1880)
  • Joseph Marlin (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 3/30/1880 – 5/27/1880)
  • Charles Klingston (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 5/27/1880 – 11/10/1880, 2nd Assistant Keeper 11/10/1880 - 6/2/1881, Acting 1st Assistant Keeper 6/2/1881 – 7/22/1881, 1st Assistant Keeper 7/22/1881 – 4/12/1882)
  • Christian Johnson (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 6/15/1881 – 7/22/1881, 2nd Assistant Keeper 7/22/1881 – 4/11/1883) 
  • Thomas H. Hendrickson (Acting 1st Assistant Keeper 4/12/1882 – 7/14/1882, 1st Assistant Keeper 7/14/1882 – 4/25/1883)
  • Simon P. Nelson (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 4/11/1883 – 4/25/1883, Acting 1st Assistant Keeper 4/25/1883 – 7/3/1883, 1st Assistant Keeper 7/3/1883 – 8/18/1883, 1st Assistant Keeper 9/6/1883 – 3/15/1889, Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 5/10/1890 – 7/5/1890, 2nd Assistant Keeper 7/5/1890 – 8/12/1890, 1st Assistant Keeper 8/12/1890 – 10/1/1895)
  • Ole Hansen (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 6/4/1883 – 7/3/1883, 2nd Assistant Keeper 7/3/1883 – 8/18/1883, 1st Assistant Keeper 8/18/1883 – 9/6/1883, 2nd Assistant Keeper 9/6/1883 – 9/10/1885, Head Keeper 7/1/1890 – 3/1/1893)
  • Charles Green (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 11/27/1885 – 12/21/1885)
  • Andrew Linder (2nd Assistant Keeper 3/24/1886 – 8/12/1886)
    Hakon Debes (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 7/15/1886 – 12/8/1886, 2nd Assistant Keeper 12/8/1886 – 4/2/1887)
  • Joseph Hanson (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 4/2/1887 – 6/20/1887, 2nd Assistant Keeper 6/20/1887 – 4/16/1889, 1st Assistant Keeper 4/16/1889 – 8/12/1890)
  • Charles A. Lindstrom (Head Keeper 12/10/1887 – 2/10/1888)
  • Bendix Rolfson (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 4/16/1889 – 6/7/1889)
    Soren Christianson (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 8/21/1889 – 10/3/1889, 2nd Assistant Keeper 3/10/1889 – 4/28/1890)
  • Edward N. Curran (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 8/27/1890 – 12/10/1890, 2nd Assistant Keeper 12/10/1890 – 5/11/1891)
  • Albert S. Samuelson (Acting 2nd Assistant Keeper 6/1/1891 – 8/6/1891, 2nd Assistant Keeper 8/6/1891 – 7/2/1894)
  • Thomas J. Bailey (Acting Head Keeper 3/1/1893 – 11/1/1893)

Researched and written by Marie Vincent, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
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