Announcing Historic Kewaunee Harbor Walking Tours & Fog Signal Demonstrations - Tickets Available Now!
- Jake Heffernan
- Mar 27
- 4 min read
The "Friends of the Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse" are thrilled to announce the addition of two new ways to experience Kewaunee's historic harbor and lighthouse through a guided walking tour and Fog Signal demonstrations!
As part of Door County Maritime Museum's Lighthouse Passport Days the first weekend in June, we are offering two NEW experiences for you to enjoy!
Beginning on Friday, June 6th, join our VP Jake Heffernan at Harbor Park in Kewaunee and learn about the "Evolution of Lighthouse Fog Signals" and experience them for yourself. Jake will talk about the technological evolution from cannons to whistles to sirens to the diaphone and on to modern "pure tone" signals. The best part - you'll be able to hear them in person! By sounding a relatively small cannon, a 5" diameter steam whistle, and a "Type B" diaphone horn, you'll be able to understand the way each sound is created and the increasing sound power as the sound is generated more efficiently throughout time. This is an immersive, fun presentation for young and old alike!
Read about 2024's presentations at Sherwood Point Lighthouse or purchase your tickets for 10am, 12pm, or 3pm for Friday, June 6, 2025.
Next, on Saturday, June 7th, we are offering a "Kewaunee Harbor Walking Tour" featuring FOUR historic points of interest. The World's Largest Grandfather Clock, the Kewaunee Fire Museum, the tug LUDINGTON, and the Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse. Your walking tour will be led by knowledgeable, local guides, who are involved in the Tug and Lighthouse operation. We're so excited to bring this opportunity to our supporters!
Tours begin at the World's Largest Grandfather Clock - a 36' tall functioning, wooden clock built in 1976 by Svoboda Industries of Kewaunee. (Located at the corner of Miller St & Highway 42/Milwaukee Street) Next, experience the Kewaunee Fire Museum, normally not open for regular tours. The Fire Museum features tools and equipment dating back to the department's establishment in 1870. The Fire Department is fortunate to have historical antique fire apparatus that is well maintained and on public display. These pieces of history were all used by Kewaunee firemen many years ago. They include an 1870 chemical pumper purchased from the City of Milwaukee in 1894, an 1884 hand pumper purchased new in that same year, a 1908 hand drawn wheeled hose car, and a 1927 American Lafrance pumping engine, still in working condition.
Next, guests can either walk or move their vehicles to Harbor Park (just across Milwaukee Street) for a semi-guided tour of the historic WWII Tug Ludington. The tug was built in 1943 in New York for the US Army and was one of the roughly 7,000 vessels to play a role in the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944 and the following days. After the war, the tug was based in Kewaunee and took part in harbor operations on behalf of the US Army Corps of Engineers. After an engine failure led to the tug's retirement, the City of Kewaunee was given the tug in late 1995 to become a museum.
Meeting in the tug's galley, our guide will talk about the tug's history before the group is released to explore the tug from bow to stern, and engine room to pilothouse. The guide will be on hand to answer questions, however this portion of the tour is self-guided due to the tight spaces found within the ship. Guide pamphlets or audio tour options are available. Meeting back in the galley, the guide will talk about the early commerce that spurred the development of Kewaunee's harbor - sawmills and the railroad. You might even learn about Kewaunee's unique connection to North Korea. We'll then leave the tug and begin walking towards the lighthouse, discussing some of the historic sites visible along the way such as Kewaunee's original railroad depot adjacent to the tug, as well as the remnants of the carferry docks and the privately owned 1893 Lifesaving Station across the harbor.
Finally, you'll walk the length of the South pier to the Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse where guides will talk about the lighthouse's history and restoration efforts. Built in 1912 to replace an older lighthouse on the opposite pier, this lighthouse was manned 24 hours a day until 1981. Throughout its service, the building contained air compressor machinery for fog signals, as well as transmitting equipment for a radio beacon which allowed ships to navigate by directional radio signals. You'll be given the opportunity to explore the lighthouse from bottom to top - taking in the panoramic view from 45 feet above Lake Michigan. The lighthouse will not be open to the public during your tour, allowing you to explore the history at your pace alongside the rest of your tour group.
If you're unable to attend one of these walking tours, check out our Public Tours on select Saturdays throughout the summer.
THINGS TO KNOW
The entire walking tour will last about 2 hours and cover approximately 3/4 mile from the Clock to the Lighthouse. Tickets are available above, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the tug and the remainder supporting the lighthouse restoration. Due to the historic nature of the tug Ludington and the Kewaunee Lighthouse, those sites are not handicap accessible. The full tour requires climbing steep ladders and stairs. There are no restrooms in the lighthouse. Restrooms are available in Harbor Park, next to the tug.
What to Bring:
Comfortable, closed-toed walking shoes
Extra layers - it's often cooler by the lake
Water bottle
Camera
After your tour, consider packing a picnic lunch in Harbor Park next to the tug, or check out one of the local eateries.
The Friends of the Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the State of Wisconsin whose mission is to provide financial and physical support for the restoration and ongoing maintenance associated with the lighthouse.
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