Raspberry Island Light Station: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, National Park Service

The Raspberry Island Light Station landscape is located off the northeast point of the Bayfield Peninsula in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in western Lake Superior. Approximately one mile long and a half mile wide, Raspberry Island is one of the smaller islands in the archipelago. The light station is situated on the southwest end of the island on a 6-acre site. The Raspberry Island Light Station is significant as part of the collection of Apostle Island Light Stations. These stations are defined by two themes: 1) the development and evolution of resources directly associated with light stations’ use as navigational aids, reflecting the economic conditions that influenced shipping patterns and by the technological changes that influenced lighthouse systems; and, 2) the development and evolution of resources associated with the lifestyle of the personnel charged with station operation and maintenance. The current built environment at the Raspberry Island Station, including the buildings and structures, principal circulation routes, and garden plots largely dates from the second period of development at the station which began with construction of the fog signal building (1902) and extended through the end of occupied management (1947). A draft National Historic Landmark (NHL) nomination was written for the Apostle Islands Lighthouses in 2002. This document identifies a period of significance spanning from 1856 with the construction of the Michigan Island Light until the end of U.S. Coast Guard management and operation, in 1978. Both the National Register and NHL nomination establish that eight buildings and seven structures retain integrity and contribute to the significance of the Raspberry Island Light Station. The Raspberry Island Light Station landscape represents two distinct development eras: 1862 to 1901 and 1902 to 1947. The light station was constructed in response to an increasing volume of ship traffic moving through the West Channel to the new ports of Bayfield and Ashland. For the first forty years, it experienced little change to its physical plant, with the exception of a few small-scale improvements. In 1902, planning for the addition of a fog signal at Raspberry Island initiated a stir of new activity. New structures were built to accommodate the technology, and a third keeper was hired. To accommodate another employee, the lighthouse was rebuilt in 1906 to the current configuration. In 1947, the light and fog signal were fully automated. This eliminated the need for keepers, and the station lay vacant for the first time in eighty years. In 1975, the National Park Service (NPS) took possession of Raspberry Island as part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The existing light station landscape features a cluster arrangement of structures and reflects the historical functions of a manned light station. The Coast Guard continues to maintain an automated light beacon at the edge of the bluff on Raspberry Island. The historical building cluster located in the lighthouse yard has been maintained by the NPS as an interpretive site. While the exterior of the lighthouse has a high degree of integrity, the interior has experienced some loss due to alterations completed during the 1960s. While it was inhabited, the area around the light house was kept clear, vegetable gardens and flowerbeds were maintained, and small quantities of livestock were kept. Despite some losses, remnants of these activities contribute to the character and integrity of the landscape. Second growth forest and invasive species have encroached into the clearing, which has not been actively maintained since at least 1957. This overgrowth obscures the boundary between the island forest and the fenced lighthouse yard, historically delineated zones. Furthermore, the bluff has suffered from erosion over the years.

Raspberry Island Light Station: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, National Park Service

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