Porte des Morts Lighthouse Ruins Excavation: The Study of a Mid-19th Century Lighthouse Site on the Great Lakes

Summary

A historic maritime ruins site located on Plum Island off the tip of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula was acquired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2007. The Porte des Morts Lighthouse (47DR497) operated briefly from 1849 to 1858 until replaced by a more substantial lighthouse on nearly Pilot Island. In partnership with Hamline University, excavations took place between 2013-2015 to uncover evidence as to both the architecture of the building and domestic life on the maritime frontier. Spotty historical evidence suggested that the building was not constructed to contract specifications and island life was challenging for Lighthouse keeper William Riggins and his wife Phebe and their growing family. Excavations uncovered intriguing evidence of desperate attempts by the family to stabilize crumbling walls and keep the light beacon functioning. In addition, the recovery of a robust assemblage of nearly 16,000 artifacts and faunal remains paints a picture of their daily lives from teaching writing skills to their children, feeding the family dog, and revealing Phebe’s love of "Romantic Scenery" dishes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22497