Sankaty: A Move For The Ages
By Sue Clark on Sep 22, 2007 in Other, Threatened 
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After sixteen years of planning and fundraising to the tune of $4 million dollars, Sankaty Lighthouse, Nantucket, MA, is up on jacks and ready to roll into the future. Expert House Movers of Virginia Beach, VA, subcontractors for International Chimney, raised the 157 year old, 450 ton lighthouse over one foot in the air on September 18 while preparing for the historic move, set to begin October 1. Security will be tight around the lighthouse, which will be dimmed as it’s being moved. The Nantucket Independent Online will have a front row seat as the official photographer of the event, and has been running a fascinating series of articles on the historic move.
International Chimney notes it was pleased when they put the final touches and lifted Sankaty on the jacks, as they were expecting some cracks and breakage of the foundation. But these guys are pretty experienced, and everything went off without a hitch. After all, they’re the ones who moved Cape Hatteras, NC, Southeast Light on Block Island, RI, the Highland Lightstation, MA and Nauset Lighthouse, MA. The 390 foot move is expected to take ten days, but may be longer. The lighthouse is being moved onto the fifth tee of the Sankaty Golf Club, shich donated ten acres to the Sconset Trust to house the beacon away from the eroding edge of the island.
This post will be updated as more articles are printed, for readers to have it conveniently at their fingertips without having to search for them. Right now, in chronological order, here are the stories. Each will open in a new window or tab, so you can read them without having to use your back button.
- Moving Sankaty
Preparations underway for Historic move of Sankaty Head Lighthouse - Watching the Move
Sconset Trust deals with curious public - Sankaty Sprouts Lifting Beams
Preparations to move the hulking Sankaty Head Light - Lift Off For Sankaty
Sankaty Light grows fourteen inches
Remember to watch this post for more on this story, and if anyone is fortunate enough to be in the area for the move, and would like to share photos, please contact Lighthouse News.
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