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As part of the East Channel Lighthouse Rescue effort, students in the Munising High School Industrial arts classes, under the direction of instructor Tom Stephens, constructed a 1/8-scale model of the East Channel lighthouse. Working from a scale drawing of the lighthouse, 27 students in Woods and Metals classes helped frame and construct the structure, cut the miniature siding, fabricate and weld the railings cut and fit the metal roof and apply stain to replicate the lighthouse. Stephens said, “ at first the students were skeptical, but once we started getting the project underway, they really surprised me. They took a real interest in the project. They are proud of themselves, because they could see what everyone was contributing, and they knew it would be on display in the community.

Since its completion, the replica has been used to bolster interest in the lighthouse restoration effort at activities such as the 4th of July parade and the Alger County Historical Societies “Lighthouse Day” fundraiser. The model is now on permanent display in the Historical Societies Heritage Center as a featured exhibit. Response to the student’s efforts has been enthusiastic as it is quite obvious that a tremendous amount of effort was put in the project by the students as the model represents incredible detail and accuracy, right down to the mottled weathered look that was done by creatively applying various layers of stain.

Another outcome of the project was that, in addition to the student’s unified effort on the model, the project also triggered their interest in the restoration effort itself, and several spent weekends on the island helping with the shoreline stabilization of the lighthouse.

This story appeared in the April 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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