The Fox Island Lighthouse Association (FILA) works to preserve and restore the South Fox Island Light Station and its connecting grounds. We operate as a “Friends” Group to the Michigan Department of Resources that owns the site. Many of our projects are planned and executed by volunteers. Contractors are used as safety issues or specialized skills dictate.
Please use the Volunteer page to let us know how you can help.
2025 Restoration Projects
Assistant Keepers Quarters
- Mill dimensionally-appropriate wood for parlor floor repairs
- Complete floor & molding repair, begun in 2024
- Recreate missing pantry cabinet drawer
- Investigate tuckpointing the chimneys, a source of prior roof leaks and a prerequisite for eventual re-roofing
1867 Lighthouse
- Repair/replace soffits
- Continue lantern room restoration
- Develop plans for rooftop vent ball replacement
- Address roof leak associated with bathroom vent pipe
Skeletal Tower
- Restore entry and parapet door latch mechanisms
Fog Signal
- Address roof leaks around stacks
Boathouse
- Selectively replace/repair siding boards and battens
- Assess/repair double doors damaged from rocks & high water
And more TBD. Is there something you and/or a team of friends can help with? Some projects require skilled labor: plaster repair, carpentry projects such as designing and fabricating improved second-story window covers for the Assistant Keepers, window & door repair, roof repairs, installing replacement metal siding on the Fog Signal, constructing replacement metal parts, masonry repair…. Other projects include: scraping & painting, taking up old flooring, cleaning eavestroughs, cleaning buildings (window washing, vacuuming), continued grounds clearing…..
We’re an all-volunteer organization and depend on folks stepping forward!
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