May 12 – Lantern Room Progress

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After a number of maintenance projects (water, outhouse, etc.), Marty & Tom are back to researching steps to restore the 1867 lighthouse lantern room.

Organizing tools….backing out screws that have been in place for nearly 160 years is not an easy proposition.

Even getting to the screws is a challenge. When FILA first began rehabbing the station, most of the glass was AWOL from the lantern room. Volunteer Phil von Voigtlander covered openings with plywood nearly 20 years ago to protect the lantern room  from further damage.

Tom & Marty are having to work around this plywood (still needed to protect the openings) whilst trying various means to back out screws that hold the frames that originally held the glass.

Another view….

We’re thankful for the many folks who help make this project happen.

 

May 9 – Update from the opening crew

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Arrival! Lots of gear on the beach needing to be carried up to the lighthouse.

The opening crew checked up on the solar system….it weathered the winter well. Thanks again to the Great Lakes Lightkeepers Association for donating major components.

The team also worked to upgrade the lake-water filtering system to be used by volunteer teams.

The team has also done some exploring…things that can only be seen before vegetation takes over. Here are remnants of one of the early pump systems.

The wreck that had been visible since 2021 is still present, though somewhat buried compared to prior years.

All photos courtesy of Marty Rosalik.

May 8 – Season Start

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The first team of the 2024 season headed out today.

Thanks to our awesome volunteers!

 

August 25 – It’s a Wrap

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Keith & Ally Lang just returned from another stint of island volunteering.

They helped close up buildings and winterize equipment

…another island season comes to an end!

 

August 4 – Carpentry in the round

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Today’s update includes before and after pictures trimming out the 1867 LH front door.

Before and after photos. Transitioning from the square outer tower to the circular tower interior.

 

Ben assessing in the “before” image with the second photo showing how they filled out the void between masonry and door frame. The lighthouse screen door was a project from an earlier team. They found it in the basement with derelict screen, fixed it up repurposing hardware sent out for another project and added a brace. Still needs a paint job but we’ve otherwise made a lot of progress in cleaning up the entry this year.

Further up the tower, we’ve been missing one of the door off this compartment so the thought was to bring it back to make a replica. Jim reports “Little curved door removed from lighthouse stairs. We did take measurements for the door needed.” The small door is from one of the clock weight accesses.

Jim adds: “The door is curved. Hinges r curved.”

Yes, that’s why this project is coming back to the mainland. It will take resources far beyond what we can do “on island.”

 

 

August 1 – More window installs

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Jim reporting in:  Found a couple screens in the back of the LH basement for the basement windows. Did get one installed. All windows restored are up and looking good.

Hinged basement window

One of these windows had the original brass hook and eye.

Example of one of the original screens. Needs a paint job but otherwise  usable.

 

July 31 – A great start to the week

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Vice President Allchin reporting in from conversations with the island team…

“The carpenters team is back on island and accomplished so much in just one day. Secured the doors on the solar power box, installed restored windows in assistant keepers quarters, and finished the deck off the back of the summer kitchen. We are so grateful for all the volunteers with made such a difference. It has been a very productive season.”

 

Ben inspecting their work

Finishing up the deck behind the workshop, providing safe access to the newly repaired rear door.

One of the two broken kitchen windows restored

And the second.

July 30 – Another Week of Carpentry

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Ben & Jim, from South Bend, IN planned to head out this morning for a weeklong stay at the station.  One of their projects will be to install windows that had been restored over the winter.

The 3-light sash belong to the 1867  Lighthouse basement, among the final sash to be restored on the building. The stained and varnished ones will be reinstalled in the Assistant Keeper’s large apartment kitchen. (As an aside, the latter were an experiment in using water-based varnish to see if we could get an acceptable historically consistent finish. We have a lot of woodwork to restore in the beautiful Assistant Keepers Quarters and providing proper disposal for paint thinner needed for oil-based finishes is difficult. While it took extra coats to get a nice finish, yes, water-based varnish may well work for “on island” finishing work!)

For another project, wood will be coming out to complete the workshop rear deck.

Also headed out is 250 foot of donated line plus and blocks with the objective of suspending the emergency dinghy in the boathouse (freeing up space in the Fog Signal for the intended workshop and future interpretive panels, while making the dinghy more accessible.)

 

They have a long list of other projects too that we’ll report on later

 

 

July 16 – Team Turnover Day

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Bear left this morning around 9 with a new team of volunteers and returned to Leland around 2. Pete, Naomi, Pam and Milan plan to be “on island” through Saturday.

Returning team

July 15 – Packing & Clean up

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Keeper’s Log 7/15/23 Saturday Barb Falkenhagen’s final report
7am temperature 62 degrees
Winds out of the SW 8-10 mph
Today was a finish all the little jobs day. Marty and Tom worked on the solar power system. Then Tom worked on landscaping the deck area. Just a bunch of little things.
Then clean up started. Marty cleaned up the fog signal building, I did the summer kitchen, my room and the tower.
At 3:30 it was 78 in the shade and hot in the sun.
We had 3 visitors from Muskegon Lake area sailing their boat to a new mooring on Lake Erie.
The flies weren’t too bad yesterday or today as there was a breeze.
8pm temperature is 65 degrees.
Wind isn’t enough to flutter the flag 0-5 but you can hear the waves on the shore from the SW.
The Boat leaves to pick us up at 9am tomorrow and will be here just before 11. We have staged items that need to go back near the tool shed. Personal gear will be done in the morning.
It’s been an incredible week here. Lots of hard work, but lots of fun with these guys too.
This will be my last Keeper’s Log entry for this year. There may be an update when I get home.
Until then-
Let your light shine!
Morning coffee