New Walkway Donated to Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse Dedication scheduled for October 22, 2006 The Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse (FPHL) were founded five years ago as a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF). Since then, the group’s volunteers have provided tours for more than 6,000 people of the 1878 lighthouse in New Castle, New Hampshire. FPHL volunteers have worked to keep the light station tidy and have painted much of the tower’s interior. The station’s 1903 brick oil house was renovated two years ago, thanks to a grant from the New England Lovers, another chapter of ALF.
For years, a major concern was the 80-foot wooden walkway leading from the Civil War-era walls of Fort Constitution out to the foundation of the lighthouse. The walkway has been rebuilt many times over the past two centuries, dating back to the construction of the second (1804) lighthouse at the site. The most recent walkway, built around 15 years ago, was sagging and was on the verge of becoming a safety hazard for volunteers and the public.
Thanks to a generous donation from two FPHL volunteers, the walkway was reconstructed in mid-September by the Ricci Construction Company of Portsmouth, the same company responsible for the 2005 restoration of New Hampshire’s White Island Lighthouse. Kaye and Pat Heffernan donated the funds—nearly $16,000—for the project. The money was donated in memory of Kaye’s aunt, Josephine Pauk. Pauk was in the U.S. Navy and was a lover of lighthouses and all things nautical.
Click on the following link for the rest of the story: http://tinyurl.com/o7qfn My best,
Paul Conlin
ALF Secretary
