A supply of this out-of-print book by Kathy Firestone is now available via The Shoal Shoppe. https://www.theshoalshoppe.com/ It’s really the best book written on the islands and features a chapter dedicated specifically to the history of the light station. If you aren’t familiar with The Shoal Shoppe, please check them out. They carry a variety […]
Today’s team, headed by Cathy Allchin, is heading out to stage wood for our upcoming teams. The lumber on top is donated white cedar, custom cut and milled by volunteer Steve Redding. It is due to be used for the siding and doors as we recreate the lighthouse’s external basement entry. The remaining wood will […]
Eric and Lorinda Maki were our second team of “keepers” back in 2016. Suffice to say, it was a rustic experience as they describe in the article. Things are much nicer now, in part, because of their contributions. They’ve done both masonry and carpentry, including some of our toughest projects. They helped “critter proof” an […]
There’s a lot of progress being made as you can see from our Keeper’s Log. We spent some time today updating images on various pages. Please take a look at how things have changed in a relatively short period.
It’s satisfying to support this light, but also a lot of work. Next steps: getting wood and cement delivered for our 1867 lighthouse basement entry project within the next two weeks. Cathy Allchin is working with the DNR to make this happen. Suttons Bay volunteer Steve is busy milling his donated white cedar which will […]
The windows all fit, as do the sash locks. Still some painting to do around the frames. They look beautiful! After working all week in the tower, the guys finally got up to the top to enjoy the view late yesterday. Meanwhile, Mark has been doing masonry projects: repointing the east side of the 1867 […]
Marty’s report today includes showing the “adjustments” needed to get the replicated top sash to fit within the grooves and between the stops. We fortunately have a table saw and good carpenters available to “skinny” them up as required. Just moments ago, the guys reported in that all the sash has been dry fitted…the stops […]
When we talk about “stops”, we’re referring to the strips that hold the windows in. Here’s what Marty & Tom are working on. Early afternoon, Marty reports they had one last stop to get out and were finishing cleaning the jams. Tom was starting to put a first light coat of rusty metal primer on […]
Marty & Ben reported in on their skeletal tower window install. “We have good news and bad news.” We’d expected the window installs to be one of the tougher projects we’ve done…but it’s proving to have even further complications. The tower was originally built in a salt water location in 1905, then disassembled, transported and […]
One of our most talented teams made it out today after a two-day weather delay. Here’s Jim, Marty, Mark, Tom & Ben at Leland ahead of departure. They will be doing window & door installation, masonry and other projects.