Digest>Archives> Jan/Feb 2014

Beaver Island’s St. James Harbor Light Restored

By Elaine West

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St. James Harbor Lighthouse on Beaver Island, ...
Photo by: Elaine West

The stately tower of the St. James Harbor Lighthouse Station, which has been the guardian of the north shore of Michigan’s Beaver Island’s harbor since 1870, has recently undergone a major restoration and its Fresnel lens still sends a beacon of light into the dark Lake Michigan nights. It is one of two lighthouses on Beaver Island.

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Removing bad bricks for replacement at St. James ...
Photo by: Elaine West

After the U.S. Lighthouse Service era, for many years the tower was part of a working Coast Guard Life Saving Station, which included the light keeper’s home, Coast Guard crew quarters and a boat house.

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Close up view of the St. James Harbor Lighthouse ...
Photo by: Elaine West

However, time has brought numerous changes to the site. The keeper’s house remains only in old photographs and the crew’s quarters is now the St. James Township Hall. The old boat house recently was rejuvenated into Central Michigan University’s Institute for Great Lakes Research.

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Aerial view of the St. James Harbor ...
Photo by: Francine Dollinger

With a lack of care by the Coast Guard the light tower had fallen into a fragile condition and was obviously in need of immediate care. In 1998 the township supervisor, Don Vyse, began the long and detailed process to acquire the tower. And the work also began to assess the damage to the tower, to plan for its restoration, and to raise the funding required for the project.

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The newly restored St. James Harbor Lighthouse on ...
Photo by: Elaine West

Reams of paper, a required survey, and countless contacts with various governmental agencies followed. It wasn’t until April 25, 2005 that the deed to the tower was finally granted to St. James Township.

While the work on the acquisition was moving forward, a $5,000 grant allowed for an assessment of the tower and report outlining the process of restoring and preserving the beloved landmark. John Dziurman, president of the architectural firm hired to the do the assessment, described the process as “forensic architecture.” His final report noted significant damage - most created by moisture trapped in the structure which damaged the bricks and mortar. A hefty price tag for restoring the tower was attached to the report.

Meanwhile, a partnership was formed with the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (GLLKA). Vyse, with assistance from Terry Pepper, Executive Director of GLLKA, wrote a grant request for $60,000 from the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance program. They then went to work looking for funds to support the restoration project.

Pepper, who calls his many donors for Michigan lighthouse projects “angels,” said that one of them had recently visited Beaver Island and had noted the deterioration of the light tower and wanted to help. His assistance and two other anonymous donations raised $50,000, which would serve as the required local match for the grant. And in October of 2011 word was received that the $60,000 grant had been approved.

Other donors contributed as well: The Tribal Council ($16,000); The Charlevoix County Community Foundation ($5,269), and local gifts and anonymous donors ($1,000). Still short a goodly amount, Vyse went to John Woolham of the Woolham Foundation and he generously filled in the needed amount of $26,231. With the funding now all in place, the project could begin.

Ken Czapski, with an extensive background in historical preservation, was hired to oversee the project as bidding and construction administrator. All the work on the tower had to adhere to strict historic preservation guidelines. The project began last summer and the site quickly became a huge draw for visitors and Islanders alike. The workers from National Restoration, Inc. were always helpful in explaining the details of the project and all watched the transformation throughout the rest of the summer and into autumn.

Work included the replacement of some 2,600 bricks, mortar repair, window repair, a new vented door, cement repair on the steps, painting the interior walls and staircase, and waterproofing on the base of the tower. It was painted with a permeable paint, allowing the bricks and mortar to “breath,” aiding with the tower’s ventilation. While the biggest part of the project was done, at press time there was still some work to complete, including installing the door and windows.

Vyse has recently been appointed by St. James Township to begin the process of acquiring the Fresnel lens, which would involve displaying it to the public in a climate-controlled environment.

This story appeared in the Jan/Feb 2014 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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