Racine's Fog Horn Museum shows its importance to community, maritime history

By Phyllis Sides

Friday, June 8, 2007 2:12 AM CDT

Journal Times

Racine's importance as a maritime center is a highlight of the Fog Horn Museum.

The museum, which opened in June 2006, is the small building a little northeast of the Wind Point Lighthouse. For many years, the sole purpose of the white brick structure was to house the fog horn that warned vessels of navigational hazards along the lakeshore. Now, it's getting some more attention.

In early May, the museum took possession of a model of a 1,000-foot ore carrier that will be on loan to the museum for the next two years, said Lyle Andersen, a member of the Friends of the Lighthouse.

"It was built by model master Gary Culham of Atlanta, Mich.," Andersen said. "It is a 12-foot, steel hull, actual working model of a Great Lakes ore carrier. It was not actually modeled after a specific 1,000-foot ore carrier, but was built to resemble all of them. The ship will be displayed alongside an ore loading dock. It will be a great educational tool for all who haven't seen an ore carrier up close."

Fragments of Racine's maritime past also are on display at the museum.

Glass cases hold a range of artifacts from dinnerware used on a lake-sailing yacht to underwater photos of the Kate Kelly, a 126-foot schooner wrecked off Wind Point in 1895. There are also wooden models of ships, actual buoy lights, dive charts, a boat engine, a ship's "knee" and more. Items have been collected and donated by a number of sources, including the Wisconsin Maritime Society and Manitowoc Maritime Museum.

Recently, Andersen spoke with the Journal Times about the museum.

Why is it important to have the model?

The model of the 1,000-foot ore carrier gives everyone who visits the Fog Horn Museum an opportunity to see a 1,000-foot ore carrier up close. We often see them on the lake several miles away. While these sightings are interesting, they do not afford you a detailed look.

Why is the museum important to the community?

The museum is important to the community as an educational depository of maritime history of Racine County and the greater Great Lakes Basin.

How important is maritime

history to the community?

Racine, from its founding, was not only a manufacturer of boats and sailing ships, but also an important arrival and departure point on the Great Lakes. Yet to this day it serves as a service to recreational boating in the area.

Do you have plans to expand the museum?

The museum has an ongoing evolution of displays. We are currently focusing on our outside maritime displays. The latest is a recovered piece of the rail for the surf boat that was used by the Wind Point Lighthouse keeper. We hope in the near future to replicate the 20-foot surf boat and have it displayed in front of the oil house.

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