Digest>Archives> April 2009

Old Buoys Saved And Donated

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Michigan's Fort Gratiot Lighthouse in Port Huron ...
Photo by: Jeff Shook

When it comes to saving lighthouse history there are many types of artifacts that are being saved and preserved for future generations, but one of the most difficult to save and display are navigational aids that weigh thousands of pounds.

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Before being repainted the buoys had to be water ...
Photo by: Jeff Shook

But, Jeff Shook, of the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, wasn’t about to let obstacles like weight deter him from finding a new home for two vintage navigational buoys that weight 3,500 pounds and 4,500 pounds.

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The restored buoys were trucked to their ...
Photo by: Jeff Shook

However, Shook took the donation one step further. He made sure both buoys were restored before he donated them on behalf of the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, to the Port Huron Museum in Port Huron, Michigan.

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The Coast Guard Cutter Bramble whose duty was to ...
Photo by: Jeff Shook

Shook said, “They are the kind of things that our Coast Guard has been putting in and out of the water for years. It’s a dangerous job, but one that it an absolute necessity.” The two old buoys were summer bouys used on the Great Lakes and would have been taken out of the water at the beginning of each winter and replaced by smaller buoys for the ice season. This was a chore that was once undertaken by the crews the Coast Guard tender Bramble that is now on display at the Seaway Terminal in Port Huron, Michigan where the restored buoys have found a temporary home until they can be moved at a later date for display on the grounds of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse.

This story appeared in the April 2009 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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