Bailey's Harbor, Wisconsin

The day after we arrived, Scott and I went to church on Sunday, July 29th and then decided to start our time in Door County by strolling down the streets of Bailey's Harbor, my ancestor's town that afternoon.

My family lived here back in the mid-1850's.  Newton and Lavina's son, Samuel Newton Bacon married Phoebe Jane Foss here in 17 January 1854 (I bet that was a cold wedding!) and their  daughter Sarah J. Bacon married Edward E. Beery here on 11 May 1857.  While Newton was the lighthouse keeper of the Old Bailey's Harbor Birdcage Lighthouse, 7 of his children lived in the lighthouse including my 2nd great grandmother.  The birdcage lighthouse is now on a small 2-acre island just off Ridges Road in Bailey's Harbor.  I wonder if it was on an island back in the day...

Newton Bacon (1801-1891)
My 3rd Great Grandfather

Lucy Columbia Bacon (1840-1900)
My 2nd Great Grandmother

Winters were probably brutal being right on the windy Lake Michigan and I'm sure they kept the fires stoked to keep warm.  The rest of the children lived nearby Bailey's Harbor, Sturgeon Bay, Algoma and Clay Banks.  I wanted so much to go out to the lighthouse and touch the building and hopefully tour the home, but didn't have permission so I stayed on land.  I did go down to Sturgeon Bay to discover who owned the lighthouse and have their contact information and will be contacting the family in the future so that when we return to Door County, I might be able to go to the island with a proper invitation.

Bailey's Harbor Lighthouse Web Photo

I find it very interesting that little Bailey's Harbor (population 1,038) is home to 3 lighthouses!  Once, the National Lighthouse Service deemed the birdcage of little use with shipwrecks, the Range Lights and Cana Island Lighthouse were both constructed in 1869 and lit in 1870 to take it's place.  Cana Island was more on the tip of the Bailey's Harbor peninsula off Moonlight Bay and the Range Lights was in the bay of Bailey's Harbor.  More on these two lighthouses at the end of this post.

Bailey's Harbor Lighthouse Web Photo

Bailey's Harbor Lighthouse Web Photo

We started our stroll at the Marina where a gorgeous mural is painted and walked onto the docks there.

Soon, we started just strolling down the street.  The weather was lovely - mid to high 70's and I had never seen such HUGE hydrangeas as I saw in Door County!  The town is unincorporated - as many of the town are in Door County - and Bailey's Harbor is on the east side of the peninsula so it gets a bit more wind than other parts of the county.

We kept walking down the street, passing all the gorgeous flowers and cute cottages until we came to Anclam Park and Beach.

At Anclam Park and Beach, we stopped so I could put my toes into Lake Michigan and we strolled down the pathway to the end of the small pier there.

After the park, we walked across the street and continued our walk along the other side of the street admiring the rest of the houses and flowers.

I spend some time later in the week at the Bailey's Harbor Visitor Center and Historical Society - although I have to say there was little information the "historical society" could provide.  They just said to go to Sturgeon Bay.  It was really  just a tourist information station with a museum in the upstairs floor.

A few other places of interest on the main road held some gorgeous buildings and the Ridges Sanctuary.  The Ridges is a large 30 acre preserve where you can walk through the Cook-Albert Fuller Nature Center, Range Lights, Hiking in the Ridges and Nature Store.  The Ridges Sanctuary became Wisconsin's first land trust in 1937.

Areal View of Bailey's Harbor and Ridges Sanctuary

Cook-Albert Fuller Center
Web Photo

Range Lights House

Range Lights House

Range Lights
Photo by Blacksmith Inn on the Shore

The last lighthouse in Bailey's Harbor is the Cana Island Lighthouse below.  It was built in 1869 and first lit in 1870 to replace the Bailey's Harbor Birdcage Lighthouse along with the Range Lights.  Both, were constructed to replace the Birdcage Lighthouse.

Cana Island Lighthouse
Photo by Wisconsin Historical Markers

Bailey's Harbor is such a cute town - as all the towns of Door County are.  I'm excited to to have spend my summer here!