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Last year, it was discovered that a beam that supports the privy at Maryland’s historic 1875 Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse had rotted and cracked. This was an unexpected expense, and finding just the right beam for its replacement was no easy task.
After extensive searching, Glenn James of CraftWright Timber Frame Company found the perfect replacement: a 20-foot, 2,000-pound white oak beam salvaged from a demolished barn in northwestern Pennsylvania.
The newly found old beam then had to be sawmilled down to its final installation size, treated with a preservative, painted, and have holes drilled at the precise spots where it would be connected to the lighthouse. Finally, it needed to be transported to a work boat, brought out to the lighthouse, and then installed, all of which was hard physical work.
This work was just one small phase of the restoration work that needs to be done at Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse. Restoration of the lighthouse is being overseen by the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society.
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