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Save
Our Lights!
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American Lighthouse Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 565
Rockland,
Maine 04841
Phone: 207-594-4174
info@lighthousefoundation.org
The American Lighthouse Foundation is a
Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization dedicated to the preservation of America's historic lighthouses.
SEARCH ALF WEB
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ALF Volunteers Work to ‘Raise the Roof’ on
Historic Oil House at Sandy Neck Lighthouse on Cape Cod
By Bob Trapani,
Jr.
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The Sandy Neck
Lighthouse Restoration Committee is a resourceful group of Cape Cod
volunteers dedicated to lighthouse preservation.
After
successfully restoring a new lantern atop the ‘headless’ Sandy Neck
Lighthouse in 2007 and subsequently relighting the tower as a private
aid to navigation later |
(SNLRC Photo)
The SNLRC is now restoring the oil house
after establishing a new lantern on Sandy
Neck Lighthouse in 2007
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that year, the
Sandy Neck Lighthouse Restoration Committee (SNLRC), a chapter of the
American Lighthouse Foundation, has now set their sights on restoring the
light station’s historic brick oil house.
On October 4,
2008, SNLRC volunteers began the restoration process of ‘raising the roof’
on the oil house, which was originally constructed in 1905.
Decades of
deterioration caused by the elements and neglect combined to take a heavy
toll on the roof’s structural integrity, to the point where the |
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(SNLRC Photo)
SNLRC volunteers worked to remove the
deteriorated roof on October 4th in advance
of a roof restoration project that will
occur
later this fall
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wooden
components of the oil house had incurred rot beyond repair. Only one set
of the wooden rafters supporting a slate roof remained in tact, which
the contractor is using as a pattern for a new replica roof support
system.
Prior to the
restoration project, the Sandy Neck Lighthouse Restoration Committee
carefully documented and |
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assembled what structural
evidence remained in regards to the roof construction, and have provided
historically accurate samples of rafters, roof boards, wood trim, etc., to a
local saw mill for replication purposes.
Jim Walker, a
SNLRC member and chairperson of ALF’s Cape Cod Chapter, is working closely
with Sturgis St. Peter, a local Cape contractor who is graciously donating
his labor, to restore the oil house. This project marks the fourth oil house
that Walker has helped to spearhead, with the other oil house restorations
occurring at Wood End, Long Point and Race Point on Cape Cod.
Though the roof of
the Sandy Neck oil house could not be saved due to deterioration, the rest
of the structure has fared surprisingly well over the last century.
“The oil house at
Sandy Neck is a nice brick structure,” says Jim Walker. “No one ever painted
over the brick, which is rare – and a good thing. The oil house will look
brand new when we get a roof on it.”
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According to
Walker, condition-wise, the brick structure is “perfect – absolutely
perfect.”
In addition,
though the entrance door to the oil house has long disappeared, enough
evidence of the door remained for the contractor to be able to create a
replacement door. |
(SNLRC Photo)
An overview of the remote and
dune-studded location of Sandy Neck Light and its oil house
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“The new wood trim
and entry door, which is an exact replica of the original, will be painted a
dark maroon color – the same shade that the U.S. Lighthouse Service used on
the trim of the oil house,” says Jim Walker.
The restoration of
the oil house at Sandy Neck is a team effort, as SNLRC |
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(SNLRC Photo)
John Crocker is one of seven SNLRC
volunteers that helped prep the oil house for restoration
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volunteers
removed the rotted roof in advance of the restoration work and will
assist the contractor where appropriate during the remainder of the
project.
Just getting
to Sandy Neck Lighthouse is no easy task for volunteers. The lighthouse
is located in |
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a small, private
beach community and requires a four-wheel drive vehicle to reach the sandy
site.
American
Lighthouse Foundation historian Jeremy D’Entremont describes the location of
Sandy Neck Lighthouse as being on “The eastern tip of Sandy Neck – a
half-mile wide, six mile long, dune-studded peninsula on the north side of
Cape Cod, which marks the entrance to Barnstable Harbor.”
The SNLRC
volunteers that helped with the oil house project on October 4, 2008 were,
Bill Crocker, Dave Crocker, John Crocker, Paul DeVeau, Wayne Van Buren,
David Snowden and Jim Walker.
Though Sandy Neck
Lighthouse is privately owned by, the Sandy Neck Lighthouse Restoration
Committee and the American Lighthouse |
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Foundation are
restoring and will preserve the historic integrity of the light tower
and oil house through a unique Historic Preservation Restriction /
Easement.
This Historic
Preservation Restriction / Easement, which was spearheaded by Ron
Jansson, SNLRC chairman, allows for the private owners and |
(Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)
The oil house is seen to the far right of
the lighthouse, barely above the sand dunes
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SNLRC / ALF to
work together to protect the historic, architectural, cultural, scenic and
aesthetic value and significance of the light station through conservation
and preservation efforts in perpetuity.
The public often
places a lot of focus on the restoration of lighthouses, but as
preservationists are keenly aware of, the other buildings that helped
comprise a light station are equally as significant historically.
Outbuildings like
oil houses may not be as romantic as a light tower, but their role and
importance in the history of the light station are undeniable and must be
preserved whenever possible, which makes the present efforts of the Sandy
Neck Lighthouse Restoration Committee an invaluable contribution to our
lighthouse heritage.
“At one time, a
variety of buildings were essential to the operation of our nation’s light
stations,” says Jeremy D’Entremont. “Sadly, many |
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(Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)
Thanks to the efforts of the SNLRC, the
light tower at Sandy Neck looks great and is
shining again as a private aid to
navigation
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components of
our historic light stations have been lost through the years, through
demolition or neglect.”
D’Entremont
goes on to note, “Oil houses, which were mostly built around 1900,
played an important role in the storage of highly flammable kerosene.
Many have been lost, and I think it’s important that we do what |
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we can to save
those that remain. They can be utilized as a teaching tool so that people
can learn about how keepers did their jobs.”
The Sandy Neck
Lighthouse Restoration Committee expects to complete the oil house project
before the end of 2008, which will mark yet another successful restoration
achievement by a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation.
Posted: 10/8/2008 |
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