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Endangered Bell Tower Being Saved!
Volunteers from around the state of Maine are restoring the historic bell tower at Perkins Island Lighthouse.
Originally constructed in 1902, the distinctive bell tower is one of just a handful of such structures left in existence.
The bell tower is one of a number of buildings at the site, including the two keepers’ dwellings that are included on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List of Endangered Light Stations.
The project, divided into three stages includes shingle removal, sill and structure preparation, and re-shingling. Archival photographs show that the bell tower was originally painted white; thus, the final stage of the restoration will include the application of pre-dipped, white shingles.
The project was made possible through funding from the Maine Department of Conservation’s BPL and a New Century Program Preservation Grant, administered by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.
The state grant covered the materials and a foreman’s stipend for the project, and the Maine Island Trail Association supplied the crew of volunteer workers with local area resident Joshua Bate signing on as the project foreman.
This story appeared in the November 2000 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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