Fort Gratiot Lighthouse shining bright with latest renovations
Another piece of history has been restored in the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse.
The St. Clair County Parks and Recreation Commission has completed its project with the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program that restored the lantern and watch rooms in the lighthouse.
The goal of the project was to bring the lighthouse, built in 1829, back to a historical appearance from the 1930's. All non-historical materials were removed from the lantern and watch rooms, including plywood and plexiglass that was used to protect the room before repairs. Now the LED light is visible to visitors from inside the lighthouse.
The only project left in restoring the lighthouse is the stairwell.
“The stairs will take some time, but that’s really the last remaining step,” said Dennis Delor, director of St. Clair County Parks and Recreation. “The lantern room, for me, was the topping on the cake of the restoration.”
Delor said the stairwell restoration start date has not yet been determined, nor has the cost.
Total cost of the lantern and watch rooms project was $42,200. The Fort Gratiot Light Station received $18,600 from the St. Clair County millage, $16,667 from the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program and $8,333 from the Friends of the Fort Gratiot Light.
The lantern room is the highest part of the lighthouse, which houses the LED light historically used for ship navigation. The watch room is the room below, which is where the lighthouse keeper would watch out for ships and maintain the light.
The original interior and exterior of the lantern room was cleaned, repaired and repainted. The original tin ceiling and vents were exposed and repaired during the project as well. The plywood that once separated the lantern and watch rooms was removed, so visitors can now see the actual LED light of the structure.
The watch room had its interior walls repaired and recoated with masonry coating. The ventilation ports were cleaned out and restored to function properly. Additionally, the iron floor, ceiling and the ladder to the lantern room were stabilized and repainted.
A built-in storage cabinet was repaired, and replicas of the original wood doors were placed inside. The cabinet will securely hold artifacts and replicas to enhance interpretation of the lighthouse keeper's duties. Missing doors on the clock weight cavities were replicated and installed along with the missing weight slot shelf.
“The lighthouse is a beacon in many different ways,” Delor said. “It’s an attraction that brings people and it shows a unique facility in our country.”
All of the buildings at the Fort Gratiot Light Station Park are slowly being restored to their appearances from 1930’s according to Lauren Nelson, the site manager at Fort Gratiot Light Station.
Delor said the restoration project would not have been possible without the grants or the support from the community.
“How we’ve accomplished so much of our projects, and I cannot stress this enough, is by being aggressive with grants and also having a wonderful group that supports us, that being the Friends of the Fort Gratiot Light Station,” he said.
The restoration was done in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
The Fort Gratiot Light Station is closed for tours until March 31. It is located at 2802 Omar St. in Port Huron.
Contact McKenna Golat at mgolat@gannett.com or (810) 292-0122.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Fort Gratiot Lighthouse shining bright with latest renovations
