2025 Lecture Series

2025 North Point Lighthouse Museum Lecture Series Topics

Jan 8

James Heinz
Aquisitions Director | Wisconsin Marine Historical Society
The Boats That Kept Milwaukee Safe: The Milwaukee Fireboats

Hear about all of the Milwaukee fireboats that have protected this city since 1889. Tales of courage and sacrifice will be told. Learn where you can see boats and artifacts today.

Feb 12 PoSTPONED to Nov. 12 due to WINTER STORM

Andrew Stern
Senior Planner – Historic Preservation | City of Milwaukee
Cream City: The Brick That Made Milwaukee Famous

This lecture examines Milwaukee’s unique cream brick and how the brick contributed to the early identity of the city.

Mar 12

Eric Gietzen
Freshwater Enthusiast, Surfer & Writer
The State of Surfing in the Great Lakes

How long have people been surfing in Lake Michigan? Where do they surf? Isn’t the water cold? Great Lakes surf-centric art? Join Gietzen for a lively discussion around these questions and more as he considers the current state of surfing in the Great Lakes.

APRIL 9

Laura Rinaldi & Terry Arliskas
Volunteers | Milwaukee Preservation Alliance
Milwaukee Soldiers Home

The history and renovation of the Milwaukee Soldiers Home, one of only 43 National Historic Landmarks in Wisconsin. It contains some of the oldest and most historic buildings in the VA system.

MAY 14

Anna Lardinios
Author and Storyteller
More Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes

There have been at least six thousand shipwrecks on the Great Lakes and an estimated thirty thousand lives lost. Storyteller Lardinois is back to tell a few more shipwreck tales.

June 11

Jim Nelsen
Author & Expert on Milwaukee Neighborhoods
Secret Milwaukee: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure

Often referred to ask “big small town” or “Smallwaukee”, you might think that Milwaukee does not have any secrets. Nelsen will be our guide to all of the little-known gems and hidden treasures that the city has to offer.

July 9

Eric Vogel
Designer, Educator and Architectural Historian
Milwaukee Moderns: Milwaukee’s Modern Architecture and How It Transformed the City’s Built Environment

A journey through the architectural history of Milwaukee during the 20th Century.

AuG 13

Brian Fette
Milwaukee History Buff
Making Milwaukee Modern – Eschweiler & Eschweiler

The prominent buildings of Milwaukee designed by Eschweiler & Eschweiler. The company name dates from 1922 when Alexander Eschweiler’s three sons joined him in the firm. For decades, they designed many of Milwaukee’s most recognizable buildings.

Sept 10

Ben Tyjeski
Tile Maker & Architectural Historian | Tyjeski Tile Company
The Art of Building with Clay in Milwaukee

Discover Milwaukee’s most fascinating architectural clay treasures made of terra cotta and tiles, including installations from the Continental Faience & Tile Co, and how historic craft traditions are necessary in contemporary building design.

Oct 8

John Eastberg
Local Architectural Historian & Author
On the Road Again: The Return of the Schlitz Archives to Milwaukee

Following the sale of the Schlitz Brewing Company in 1982, corporate historical documents, photos, advertising and artwork of one of Milwaukee’s legendary breweries were packed and shipped to Detroit and placed in storage. Four decades later, the archive has returned to Milwaukee and is the subject of an engaging lecture detailing its retrieval and highlights from the collection.

Nov 12

Andrew Stern
Senior Planner – Historic Preservation | City of Milwaukee
Cream City: The Brick That Made Milwaukee Famous

This lecture examines Milwaukee’s unique cream brick and how the brick contributed to the early identity of the city.

Beer Sponsor:
Lakefront Brewery