National Register Listing

Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light

Breakwater's NW end in Chequamegon Bay, 2 mi. N of Bay City Ck. mouth, Ashland, WI

Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light marks the breakwater at the entry to the port of Ashland. It is significant in the local history of Ashland County. This property's period of historic significance begins in 1915 when its construction was completed and ends in 1956, the most recent year of its operation 50 years before the present. The lighthouse was an important local aid to navigation throughout its period of historical significance. It continues serving this function today for both commercial shipping and recreational watercraft. This property is eligible for listing in the National Register under Criteria A and C. It is significant in terms of Criterion A for its association with the efforts of the Federal government to provide for safe maritime transport on the Great Lakes. This property exemplifies how the long-term Federal program for establishing an integrated system of navigational aids throughout the United States was manifested in the Ashland County locality. Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light is significant under Criterion C because it represents and embodies early twentieth-century lighthouse architecture and engineering. It exemplifies the design and construction methods used in building reinforced concrete lighthouses on piers and breakwaters during that time period. This structure includes two principal components, a concrete pier foundation, and a light tower. The property possesses qualities of the original location, setting, and design. It embodies historical qualities of integrity in materials, workmanship, feeling and association. The character and appearance of Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light are largely unchanged from when it was established as an aid to navigation in 1915. Its existing structural integrity attests to the lasting value of its design, as well as the high quality of its materials and construction. The changes that have been made include replacing the lantern's original optic with modem equipment, removing its fog signal and other machinery formerly used in operating the lighthouse's aids to navigation, and removing interior furnishings associated with the lighthouse's operation by onsite keepers. Despite these changes, the property's character and appearance remain essentially the same as during its 1915 to 1956 period of significance. This lighthouse has been an operating Federal aid to navigation and a local landmark in the Chequamegon Bay vicinity for more than 90 years. It continues to evoke feelings that recall the dedication to duty that characterized United States lighthouse keepers throughout the country's history.

Local significance of the structure:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2007.