The American Lighthouse Foundation Saves
Prospect Harbor Light
By Timothy Harrison
When it became apparent that Maine’s
Prospect Harbor Lighthouse was in imminent danger of collapse the
American Lighthouse Foundation knew that we had to take immediate action
to save the historic beacon. Years of water leakage on the lantern
room’s wooden deck had caused some of the timbers to rot. It was evident
that the
Photo by Walter Spear
The lantern is lifted off the lighthouse
in order to properly repair the rotted
wood frame supporting the cast-iron top to
the structure
rotted deck and
timbers could no longer support the heavy weight of the iron lantern room
and that the lantern structure could collapse into the tower.
Prospect Harbor Lighthouse is located in a remote area of Maine surrounded
by a restricted Naval installation. There was no local chapter for the
light, and the small population base would make it impossible to raise the
necessary funds to save the lighthouse. With the
Photo by Walter Spear
A view of the rotted wood deck atop the
tower that was in dire need of
replacement
Photo by Walter Spear
Another view of the rotted wood deck
tasked with supporting the light's
lantern
organization’s bank account low on funds due to funding
other ALF restoration projects we asked our membership for help, which
brought in some money. We also diverted funds from the ongoing
restoration project at Little River Lighthouse, but even this still did
not create enough money to save Prospect Harbor.
Thankfully, the Cape Cod Chapter, under the direction of
president Jim Walker, came through with $25,000 from its overnight stays
at Race
Point Lighthouse. However, we would still be short on
covering the more than $60,000 required
to complete the project. Fortunately additional assistance came forward with
help from the United States Coast Guard and U.S. Navy and thus saving the
lighthouse became a reality thanks to timely teamwork.
Restoration of the tower included but was not limited to removing the
lantern room by crane from the tower, removing all lead paint from the
lantern room,
repainting the lantern room, removing old rotted deck
and lantern room platform, constructing
and installing a new platform and deck and replacing rotted timbers. In
addition, restoration efforts also included manufacturing a new lantern
room access door, removing the optic from the tower – which remains an
active aid to navigation, installing a
Photo by Walter Spear
A new wood floor -- part of the lantern's
overall supporting system, is
lifted in place
by a crane
temporary light
while restoration took place and replacing the beacon in the lantern room
when restoration was complete.
Although the American Lighthouse Foundation has saved the historic tower
from imminent collapse, we still need to raise additional funds to restore
the interior of the tower back to its historic appearance.
Become a “Keeper” of Prospect Harbor Lighthouse today by making a
much-needed donation towards the sentinel’s complete restoration…
For more information about the American Lighthouse Foundation’s efforts to
save Prospect Harbor Light, call (207) 646-0245 or email ALF at
support@lighthousefoundation.org
