Lighthouse News » Restoration

Vote For Your Lighthouse To Win

Sue Clark — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 03:32:16 +0000

Jeld-Wen Windows ~~needs your vote~~ (voting closed) for one of twelve lighthouses to win new doors and windows. Previous winners were Wind Point Lighthouse in Wisconsin, Thomas Point Shoal in Maryland and Umpqua Lighthouse in Washington. They all received historically correct windows and doors for their respective restorations. This year, the twelve lighthouses in the runnning are:

Baltimore Lighthouse, Maryland
Bodie Island Lighthouse, North Carolina
Cedar Island Lighthouse, New York
Grand Traverse Lighthouse, Michigan
Grays Harbor Lightstation, Washington
New Canal Lighthouse, Louisiana
New Dungeness Light Station, Washington
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Maine
Plum Island Station, Wisconsin
Point Arena Light Station, California
Rose Island Lighthouse, Rhode Island
Toledo Harbor Lighthouse, Ohio

~~Please vote~~ and let friends and family know about it. This is a great way to help restore lighthouses. Your favorite lighthouse will love you.

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Vote For Your Lighthouse To Win

Lighthouse Restoration Can Be a Challenge

Sue Clark — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:18:59 +0000

When Well-Intentioned Repairs Go Awry

In July 2007, Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse in Maryland reopened to the public for tours after a challenging restoration. Challenging partly because of the location in Chesapeake Bay, but also challenging because of well-intentioned but misguided repairs while under the management of the Coast Guard. Adrienne DeRan, of Structural Preservation Services in Maryland, has written an article detailing the challenges of repairing the repairs in a recent issue of Associated Construction Publications.

An inspection by the Coast Guard in 2001 found that previous attempts to repair problems at the light had caused galvanic corrosion in the area of the splash zone, or waterline. Anne Arundel County of Maryland, the Annapolis Maritime Museum, the United States Lighthouse Society (San Francisco, Calif.) and its Chesapeake chapter began raising funds to start repairing the repairs. A second assessment revealed a section loss of about 10 percent for steel WF-beams and cast iron knuckles, as well as a loss of about 30 percent of tierods and turnbuckles.

Although the lighthouse foundation originally consisted mostly of wrought iron and cast iron, it had been replaced at some point with standard A36 carbon steel as part of a repair attempt. Unfortunately though, the introduction of these dissimilar metals to the marine environment had resulted in galvanic corrosion.

What Is Galvanic Corrosion?

It’s the electrochemical process when two dissimilar metals (like copper and steel) come in contact with each other while submersed in an electrolyte (like sea water), which will cause the erosion of the weaker metal. A “galvanic couple” is set up because different metals have different electrode potentials. The electrolyte provides a means for ion migration. This leads to the anodic metal corroding more quickly than it otherwise would; the corrosion of the cathodic metal is retarded even to the point of stopping. The presence of electrolyte and a conducting path between the metals may cause corrosion where otherwise neither metal alone would have corroded.

An example occurred in the Royal Navy frigate HMS Alarm. The wooden hull of the vessel had been sheathed in copper to prevent attack by barnacles. It was soon discovered that the sheathing had become detached from the hull in many places because the iron nails which had been used to fasten the copper to the timbers had been rotted. Closer inspection revealed that some nails, which were less corroded, were insulated from the copper by brown paper which was trapped under the nail head. The copper had been delivered to the dockyard wrapped in the paper which was not removed before the sheets were nailed to the hull. The obvious conclusion therefore, and the one which was contained in a report to the Admiralty of 1763, was that iron should not be allowed direct contact with copper in a sea water environment if severe corrosion of the iron was to be avoided. Later ships were designed with this in mind. Not only is sea water a very good electrolyte owing to its high salt concentration, but the “attack of the nails” was encouraged by their very small exposed area compared with that of the copper-sheathed hull.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Other Restoration Challenges

Rotting fascia boards also had to be replaced, and all the non-original replacement parts (tierods, clevis ends and turnbuckles) were also removed and replaced with non-galvanically reactive metals. Shims were installed between the metals to prevent any possibility of problems down the road. Liquid wood consolidant was applied to the sagging wood joists. They also had to be jacked up to their original elevation to prevent collapse in the future. Replacement tructural wooden beams were made to fit into the usable existing ones.

All this had to be performed at sea, using a small boat to access the lightstation. A larger vessel couldn’t be used due to the shallow waters around the light. Dock space was limited, and weather conditions had to be monitored closely to ensure the workers’ safety. Work areas were often submerged by tides and waves.

With all these challenges, the company managed to repair the structure, with an eye to preventing future corrosion. Working under the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation may seem like overly technical guidelines to some, but they are in place for a reason. What was built 150 years ago used different processes than today, and you cannot slap a coat of today’s paint on yesterday’s building and call it good.

Coming Soon…

Painting Pemaquid (another repair gone awry)

Photo Credits:

Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse by Eric Brian. Some rights reserved.
US Frigate Essex. Public Domain photo

For the very best in lighthouse photos and gifts visit The Lighthouse Guy.

Lighthouse Restoration Can Be a Challenge

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Ashtabula Lighthouse Starts Restoration Work

Sue Clark — Sun, 25 May 2008 12:26:49 +0000

Society Receives $15,000 Grant

Sometimes, the first step in restoration and preservation needs to be a totally unrelated one to the actual lighthouse. Such as gaining access to the lighthouse. A lot of our beacons have been built in hard to get at places, and such is the case with the Ashtabula (Ohio) Lighthouse. Although it’s connected to land, the only access is a rocky breakwall. That’s not conducive to hauling out paint, ladders, etc. So with that in mind, the first step the Ashtabula Lighthouse Restoration and Preservation Society is taking is to use the grant money to purchase and install a floating access dock and ramp.

According to a story at the Star Beacon, the dock will be U-shaped with a multi-level gangway that floats with the rising waves. and will be built on the sheltered, west side of the lighthouse. This system will provide easy access to those working on the restoration of the building, as well as future workers and visitors.

License Plate Sales Fund Grant

The money comes from the sale of lighthouse license plates in Ohio. Ohio is one of several states that sell specialized license plates to raise money for various efforts. Their plate money goes to the Lake Erie Protection Fund, which dispenses grants to organizations. Their goal is improving the water quality, eliminating pollution, and providing clean harbors and boating and fishing access for Lake Erie. The plate is actually the Lake Erie specialty plate, and features the beautiful Marblehead Lighthouse.

Other states that have specialty plates featuring lighthouses include Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, and soon, Florida.

Funding Hard To Come By

With the $15,000 in hand, The Society contracted with Con-O-Lift Floating Dock Systems to install the dock, at a cost of $35,000. The group still needs $20,000 to fully fund the work, and that’s just the beginning. The small band of volunteers spent most of the winter meeting and filling out grant applications, to Lowe’s, First Energy, and contacted other grant writers and foundations for applications. So far, the only one that provided any funding was the Lake Erie Commission.

The Treasurer of the Society, Debbie Santiana, says they have enough money in their accont to cover the full amount, but it would clean them out. Members are worried the withdrawal would place an undue hardship on the group. Anyone willing to help can visit their website and purchase some merchandise from them, or donate directly. Or if you’re near Ashtabula on July 26, attend their fish fry fundraiser.

Photo credit: Ashtabula Lighthouse by jacrabit4.

For the very best in lighthouse photos and gifts visit The Lighthouse Guy.

Ashtabula Lighthouse Starts Restoration Work

Split Rock Lighthouse Closed For Makeover

Sue Clark — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:09:24 +0000

Access to Lighthouse Temporarily Limited

The grounds at Split Rock Lighthouse near Beaver Bay, MN, perched high on a bluff overlooking mighty Lake Superior since 1910, will be closed from April 1 until May 15 (normal opening date) for a major makeover. Scaffolding and netting have already been erected around this most dramatic of lights in preparation for the work. The Minnesota Historical Society, manager of this beacon, estimates the entire project will be completed by mid-July.

A Complete Restoration

Not only will the lantern room be painted inside and out, but twenty-seven curved glass windows will be removed, resealed and put back in place to prevent the leaking that occurs during storms. The 127 foot rock it sits on is exposed to Superior’s full force during gales and the station has taken a beating over the years. Besides the tower itself, the three brick keepers buildings will also undergo restoration as will the fog signal building and two wooden barns on the property.

The Process Of Restoration

The Lake County News Chronicle has posted an article about the restoration process. The tower, which will be repainted inside and out with black paint, will first be blasted with dry ice to remove the old. And a photo recently posted on Flickr (shown below) shows the lighthouse wearing its “Construction Cap” to protect it from the weather. And to protect the environment from the effects of the paint chips. The funding for this project is from a bond allocated to the Minnesota Historical Society in the 2006 legislative session.

lighthouse with a hat
Originally uploaded by lablover47

The Magnetic Anomaly at Split Rock

The huge iron ore deposits along the shore of Lake Superior, particularly between Two Harbors and Beaver Bay, play havoc with compasses. Mariners have long been advised to expect deviations of 2.2 degrees, and to be aware of sluggish reactions with the needle. This and two major back to back storms in 1905, led to the building of this station. The rock it’s built on was actually named Stony Point, but the lighthouse establishment inexplicably named it after the Split Rock River, two miles away. The station boasts dual foghorns, which can be heard five miles out. In fact, they have been known to spook horses five miles inland. And with their distinctive Bee-Oh sound every 20 seconds, unsuspecting guests at a hotel a few miles from the station would wonder what crazed beast was coming out of the wilds of Minnesota to attack.

The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1969, and the Second Order Fresnel (Bivalve style) is only lit once a year, on November 10, to commemorate the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and all the other ships and lives lost to the mighty Superior.

Photo Credits:

Split Rock Lighthouse from Geodesic. Some rights reserved.
Split Rock Keepers’ Houses from Bhs128. Some rights reserved.
Split Rock Fog Signal Diaphones from Templarion. Some rights reserved.

For the very best in lighthouse photos and gifts visit The Lighthouse Guy.

Split Rock Lighthouse Closed For Makeover

Maltese Lighthouse Restoration

Sue Clark — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 22:36:55 +0000

Delimara Just Needs Bathrooms

The Delimara Lighthouse in Malta is nearing completion of the renovations started in 2006. All that’s left to do are the bathrooms. Oh, and the lantern mechanism. But it’s been an amazing accomplishment so far. The Malta Maritime Authority and Din L-Art Helwa (National Trust of Malta) have repaired the damage to the walls, the timber apertures, the roof and the lantern tower, including fresh paint. The photo below was taken before the work began. You can see how badly it looked.

Delimara Lighthouse was built in 1854 and served as the landfall light for ships arriving in Malta from the east. The lighthouse also marks the north side of the entrance to the harbor of Marsaxlokk. Until it went dark in 1990, it exhibited an alternating red and white light flashed at intervals of 30 seconds. The lighthouse is the sister of the Giordan Lighthouse on the west side of the harbor.

For a photo of how it now looks, see the story at DI-VE. With work on the lantern mechanism (and bathrooms) set to begin, will it be long now before she’s relighting the way into Marsaxlokk?

Photo from anykei at Webshots

For the very best in lighthouse photos and gifts visit The Lighthouse Guy.

Maltese Lighthouse Restoration