Rock of Ages Lighthouse Receives 46,000 MLAP Grant from the State Historic Preservation Office

Home to our favorite lights on the water, Michigan takes pride in the many light houses that dot our state’s coastlines. And over the years, as some have been decommissioned or automated, preservation groups have taken on the challenge of restoring these beautiful structures. Recently two Keweenaw County lighthouses received Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program grants from the State Historic Preservation Office, totaling 106,000 dollars, between both sites. One of the two is located in open water, and three miles of the coast of Isle Royale, the Rock of Ages lighthouse.

“It is one of the most remote lighthouses in North America. Just getting out there is logistically extremely complicated and difficult. Just getting materials and people out there on site is extremely difficult. So up till now, we’ve been restoring the interior, just to get some places for volunteers to safely stay out there and work long term. So now we’re at the point where we are ready to do that restoration work on the outside. That is so important, so we can continue the work that’s inside.” – David Gerth, President, Rock of Ages Lighthouse Preservation Society

The Rock of Ages Lighthouse will match twenty three thousand of the 46,000 dollar grant from State Historic Preservation Office. The funding will allow the Rock of Ages Preservation Society to hire a specialized contractor to help repaint some of the outside masonry, that has begun to show signs of cracks from years of exposure in the middle of Lake Superior. Learn more about the Rock of Ages lighthouse online here. And watch for later in the week, as we plan to talk with the second lighthouse about their MLAP grant.