I am fortunate to live at the end of the Door County Peninsula in Wisconsin, where we are surrounded by water and have a very long coastline. In our county, there are eleven lighthouses, so I don’t have to go far to find one. This 52-foot-tall example is the oldest and the most unusual. It was built with a birdcage lantern on top, which is a unique feature that sets it apart from other lighthouses of its time. Only four still exist, having this style of lantern. It was in service for only a short time, from when it was built in 1854 to 1869, when it was decided that it wasn’t in the most beneficial spot and taken out of service.

This old lighthouse is on a private island, so it can only be seen by boat or drone.

It has long since fallen into disrepair, with all the glass and the fresnel lens gone, but remarkably, the limestone tower is still sound. Even after 170 years, the badly rusting metal framework of the original birdcage is still holding up the original copper dome. The original attached keepers' dwelling has been rebuilt and enlarged.

This image is my first composition in 2025. Winter is trying to make itself felt here, and I went out to see if there were any interesting new ice patterns around these small islands. I arrived much later than I had intended, with the sun almost ready to set. I saw this lovely light, quickly changed my plans, and flew my drone over to see what I could do with the light in this lighthouse. It had been several years since I had photographed it, so I was glad to see it hadn’t deteriorated any further. I had only about five minutes before the sun would set, and this light would be lost, so I had to work quickly. I was glad I had already had prior experience with this subject, so this composition came together quite quickly.