Become a Member
Come along as we work to improve the lighthouse by becoming a Friend of Plum Beach Lighthouse.
To donate and become a member, simply click here
Our New Lighthouse
Now that we have what looks like a shiny new lighthouse, it is anything but. Have you ever been to a naval yard and seen workers constantly painting their ships? The marine environment is a hostile one for anything made of iron and steel, and the Plum Beach Lighthouse is under a constant environmental strain. Before the 2003 construction began, the Plum Beach Lighthouse was a building that needed little care since it was so badly deteriorated. Now that there is fresh paint on the structure, an ongoing maintenance fund must be established to continually care for her. Each year the lighthouse we need to be powerwashed and areas of her surface will need to be touched up. Since it is an extremely difficult place to get to, the Friends must hire people to do this job.
Interior Damage
The Friends are efforting grant money to assist with rebuilding the badly
damaged interior which is in need of an estimated $500,000 renovation.
Because of the effects of more than 60 years of guano buildup, the inside of the lighthouse is uninhabitable. Bird guano still exists in the voids between the outer iron shell and the inner brick walls, making any extended stay at the lighthouse a dangerous one. The floorboards and ceilings of the inner structure need to be replaced since they are soaked with the bird droppings, and the entire interior brick needs to be sealed with special paints to complete the guano abatement.