Grosse Point Light in Evanston, Illinois, was built to protect ships on Lake Michigan after deadly wrecks, especially the 1860 sinking of the Lady Elgin, exposed the need for another light north of Chicago. Delayed by the Civil War, construction began in 1872 under lighthouse engineer Orlando Metcalf Poe, and the light first shone in 1874. Its Italianate station and conical tower contain a rare second-order Fresnel lens, the only one of its kind still operating on the Great Lakes. Long associated with dedicated keepers, it remains one of the region’s most intact historic light stations and still serves navigation today.

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Kenilworth, Illinois · USA