The Hiawatha National Forest is pleased to announce that as part of the Great American Outdoors Act, essential repairs to the historic Point Iroquois Lighthouse have been completed. The project exemplifies the importance of community and historic preservation.
This project is part of the $285 million investment made possible by the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, established in 2020 by the Great American Outdoors Act.
The Point Iroquois Lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the most beloved, visited, and accessible lighthouses in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This year’s project focused on stabilizing the exterior masonry of the Lighthouse keeper’s quarters and repairing the rock wall that surrounds the lighthouse.
For nearly 100 years the exterior brick masonry was coated with 20th century sealants and latex paints that did not allow the 19th century brick to properly breathe. These coatings trapped moisture in the brick. The trapped water would freeze and expand during the winter months, causing the brick to spall and crack. The crew set out to peel off as much of this sealant and paint as possible so that they could repoint and repair the masonry before painting it with a breathable masonry coating.
The surrounding rock wall was built by hand by several lighthouse keepers and their families during the 1930s. Over the years it had fallen into disrepair and children of the lighthouse keepers reached out directly to the Hiawatha National Forest to ask about repairing the wall. The crew meticulously re-constructed the rock wall by hand using tools such as masonry chisels, hammers, and pointing trowels.
Overseeing the six-week project was a Project Supervisor and crew leader from our long-standing partner HistoriCorps, as well as the Hiawatha National Forest’s Heritage Program Manager Eric Drake and Archaeologist Ryan Brown. The general crew changed throughout the project, with the first crew consisting of employees of YouthWork out of Traverse City, Michigan. This youth corps trades program focuses on helping at risk youth gain skills they need to find permanent employment in the construction and carpentry trades. The second crew consisted of volunteers from across the country, including Washington, New Jersey, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Illinois, Wyoming, North Carolina, Kansas, Ohio, New Mexico, and Colorado.
In addition to the important work that took place this year, the Hiawatha National Forest now has a detailed scope of work planned for 2022, which will focus on stabilizing the exterior masonry of the lighthouse tower.
The work done this year and planned for next will bring the physical status of the lighthouse up to the Secretary of Interior Standards for Historic Properties and will enhance the visitor experience.
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