Virtually boarded up and abandoned since after World War II, major efforts are now under way to save the light keeper’s dwelling next to Wisconsin’s 1897 Plum Island Rear Range Lighthouse on Lake Michigan. This past September, a desperately needed new roof was installed on the keeper’s house.
The roof was paid for with donations from the members and supporters of the Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands. This is a major step in the restoration for the light station, which in 2010 was declared one of Wisconsin’s Ten Most Endangered Historic Places.
Their next wave of fundraising will focus on replacing the fascia, cornice moldings and Yankee gutters. Currently a colony of bats has taken up residence in the attic and next season they will be enticed to take up a new home and their access to the keeper’s house will be closed up.
This story appeared in the
Nov/Dec 2017 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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