An old dugout canoe displayed in the Fog Signal building bears testimony to the early fur traders and American Indians who plied these waters. The staircase, wainscoting and other woods are handsomely restored in the two-story, redbrick keeper's quarters with gabled roof. Rooms interpret the lifestyle of the keepers from 1900 to the 1930s using period furnishings. Wis. The 1860s lighthouse is restored and furnished in the same style as when light keepers and their families lived in such isolated posts. During the third weekend of May, the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., annually sponsors the Lighthouse Walk, which gives access to all 10 of the county lighthouses, either by car or boat.
Door County has more lighthouses than any county in the nation.
Michigan City, Ind., is the home of the Michigan City Light, the only operating public lighthouse in the state. The Old Lighthouse Museum, which was built in 1858 and housed lighthouse keepers until 1940, also calls Michigan City home. The museum, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has an exhibit on Harriet Colfax, the keeper from 1861 to 1904, and one featuring shipwreck artifacts. The Old Lighthouse was the site of the first submarine launching on the Great Lakes back in 1845, and efforts are currently underway to raise the sub's wreckage. Ill. The station boasted a 113-foot light tower and adjoining keeper's duplex, with twin fog signal buildings on the bluff.