Digest>Archives> Sep/Oct 2016

Mystery Keeper Identified

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Assistant Lighthouse keeper Reinhart Pfiel. ...

Our sincere thanks to Lighthouse Digest subscribers Barb and Ken Wardius who have identified the mystery photo on page 39 of the May/June 2016 edition of Lighthouse Digest as lighthouse keeper Reinhart Pfiel.

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Reinhart Pfiel’s hardware store in Ellison Bay, ...

Reinhart Pfiel’sfirst lighthouse assignment was in 1903 as a 2nd assistant keeper at the Grosse Point Lighthouse in Evanston, Illinois where he served until 1905. Because there is a “2” on his jacket lapel, this photograph of him would have been taken during that time.

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The Cana Island Lighthouse in Door County, ...
Photo by: Paul Gremillion

In 1905 Reinhart Pfiel was promoted to 1st assistant keeper and transferred to Cana Island Lighthouse in Bailey’s Harbor, Wisconsin. It was here in 1906 that he married Anna Johnson and the couple lived in the second floor of the keeper’s house and the first floor was occupied by the family of head keeper Thomas Brown.

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Anna Johnson Pfiel, wife of assistant lighthouse ...

In 1909 Reinhart Pfiel was transferred to the Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse in Kewaunee, Wisconsin where he and his wife Anna moved in the new lighthouse keeper’s duplex that had been completed the year before. At Kewaunee, he served under head keeper Eugene V. Kimball. On May 12, 1911 he resigned from the Lighthouse Service, apparently to pursue other interests.

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Vintage image of Grosse Point Lighthouse in ...

At some point thereafter, Reinhart Pfiel settled in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin where his family had strong ties to the community. He eventually became involved in a hardware store, ice cream parlor, restaurant, and amusement center.

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The Kewaunee Pier Head Lighthouse in Kewaunee, ...

This story appeared in the Sep/Oct 2016 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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