The U.S. Lighthouse Society (USLHS) conducted its third assessment visit to Alcatraz Lighthouse on May 25, 2017. The team consisted of Society vice president Henry Gonzalez, chair of the Alcatraz Light Station Preservation Committee Ralph Eshelman, professional engineer Mat Daw, and historic preservation architect Tom McCracken.
USLHS members may recall that in 2015, the Society formed a partnership with the National Park Service and U.S. Coast Guard to conduct a historic structure report as a first step toward the preservation of Alcatraz Light Station. Funding for this work was provided by Lands’ End, Inc.
The historic structure report is nearly finished and will include recommendations for preservation treatment. The Society is working with the NPS and USCG to further our collaborative relationship and is poised to begin fundraising for the estimated two to three million dollars required to preserve and maintain the Alcatraz Light Station for generations to come. We will keep you posted on our progress.
NOTE: The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Submitted by Ralph Eshelman, USLHS board member and chair of the Alcatraz Light Station Preservation Committee, June 1, 2017
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U.S. Lighthouse Society News is produced by the U.S. Lighthouse Society to support lighthouse preservation, history, education and research. Please consider joining the U.S. Lighthouse Society if you are not already a member. If you have items of interest to the lighthouse community and its supporters, please email them to candace@uslhs.org.
Candace was the US Lighthouse Society historian from 2016 until she passed away in August 2018. For 30 years, her work involved lighthouse history. She worked with the National Park Service and the Council of American Maritime Museums. She was a noted author and was considered the most knowledgable person on lighthouse information at the National Archives. Books by Candace Clifford include: Women who Kept the Lights: a History of Thirty-eight Female Lighthouse Keepers , Mind the Light Katie, and Maine Lighthouses, Documentation of their Past.