Work at the Otonagon lighthouse was completed this summer under a 2008 MLAP grant.  The work included extensive masonry repairs, roof repairs, the addition of chimney pots, and the installation of the green shutters.  Photographs were provided by David Bishop of the Ontonagon County Historical Society.  http://www.ontonagonmuseum.org/

Before and after work photographs of the Lake St. Clair South Channel Lights.  Photographs were submitted to us by Chuck Brockman, Save Our South Channel Lights.  http://www.soschannellights.org/

The Munising Front and Rear Range Lights on Sept. 23.  This was not one of our grant projects, but the structures were repainted this summer and are looking good.

On Tuesday afternoon I was at Whitefish Point to look at the work in progress.  They are repainting the interior and exterior of the lantern.  Due to the high cost of the project, they are painting the skeletal tower in phases – the lantern room this year and the tower structure next year.  The weather was beautiful except for the breeze coming off the lake.  Luckily, the repainted railings had just been reinstalled on Tuesday morning so I felt more secure being out there in the breeze.  Of course the one section that was not installed was the one immediately outside the door to the exterior deck.  I did not take them up on the offer to climb down the ladder (see photo) to the wood platform they had installed to do work on the underside.  Not a job I would want.  But what a view!  More work to be done including another coat of paint, glass replacement, vent replacement, and a lot of those little details.

The Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse on Sept. 22.  The site includes the lighthouse, fog signal building, and the barn which was moved back to the site a few years ago.  The fence was also put in a few years ago and is based on the historic fence documented through historic photographs.  Several years ago one of our grants helped to fund a historic structures report to guide the rehabilitation.  A beautiful fall day for a lighthouse tour!

St. James Light Tower and Life Saving Station.  A MLAP grant for plans and specifications for work on the tower was completed this summer.  Photos taken Monday, August 31, 2009.

Our current grant with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) includes painting the lantern room on the skeletal tower.  Work is in progress and scheduled to be completed by the end of September.   Photographs were provided by Tom Farnquist and Sean Ley of GLSHS.

The site visit to the Charlevoix South Pier Light was conducted on Thursday, August 6, 2009.  The grant work completed was the painting of the exterior of the light.  Present at the site visit were Bob Ziman, Mihm Enterprises, Michelle Trombley, Smay Trombley Architecture, Denise Sachau, and Bryan Lijewski from SHPO.

 The exterior of the light has been painted and the color changed from white to red.  The new colors match the original, historic paint color scheme.  The new red was matched to the existing red paint layer found underneath the white paint coatings.

As part of this project, one bent steel angle brace was replaced on the south side of the base of the tower.  Also, a few of the lower most sections of the lantern gallery railing were replaced. 

Congratulations to the team of the Charlevoix Historical Society, Mihm Enterprises, and Smay Trombley Architecture for a job well done!

Denise and I traveled to Northport on Tuesday, August 4th for the pre-work site visit for the 2009 MLAP lighthouse grant for the 1867 lighthouse Historic Structures Report (HSR) and the wood shingle roof replacement on the Carpenter’s Shop.  We started out about 8 in the morning on August 5th from the Northport marina.  The eight passengers on the boat included Anna Sylvester (DNR), Lisa Gamero (DNR), Phil von Voigtlander (FILA), John McKinney (FILA), George Carpenter (FILA), Cathy Allchin (FILA), Denise Sachau, and myself.

Our thanks to Captain Phil for getting us out to the island and back safely over rough seas and with some mechanical issues.  It was all worth it to see this incredible light station.

After lunch, we had a complete tour of the light station structures.  Time on the island flew by and before we knew it we had to board the boat for the trip back.  For the most part, the structures are in good condition and together make for a fairly complete complex.

The primary reason for our visit was to look at two structures where we will be funding work through a grant.

1867 Lighthouse

Overall, the 1867 lighthouse appears to be in good condition, with the exception of the rear, lean-to addition.  The rear lean-to is severely deteriorated and the roof is completely collapsed.  The walls are starting to pull away from the masonry walls of the lighthouse.  FILA will wait until the HSR is completed on the structure before they do any work to remove or alter this addition.

The majority of the brick masonry and mortar appears to be sound.  There are some small areas of brick spalling, but the spalling appears to be quite severe.  It looks like there is large aggregate existing in the brick units, which may be contributing to the severe spalling.

In several areas around the structure, there is a negative drainage slope.  The FILA representatives said that they have no moisture problems in the buildings or basements primarily due to the well-drained sand.

The interior of the lighthouse is remarkably intact and sound.  There appears to be very little water damage except in the tower.  Some areas of plaster and paint in the tower are severely deteriorated.  A good HSR should be a very useful tool and a help to the organization in planning their work and fundraising.

 Carpenter’s Shop Roof

 The Carpenter’s Shop roof was not readily visible due to overgrowth immediately surrounding the structure.  However, it was clearly evident even from a distance that the roof is deteriorated to the point that it does need to be replaced.  Some areas on the south side are missing the wood shingles and have been patched.  Some replacement shingles have already been purchased and are being stored in the building.  Otherwise, it’s a very nice little structure and in good shape.  

After we arrived back in Northport, the FILA volunteers had organized a picnic in the pavilion at the park.  It was great to meet many more of the FILA volunteers.  Our thanks to George, Phil, Cathy, and John for the day out on the island, and all the other volunteers for the food and conversation.

Bryan Lijewski

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