Historic Lighthouse Preservation Handbook Part IV. I, Page 1

GROUNDSHistoric LighthousePreservation:

The landscape and ancillary buildingsimmediately surrounding a lighthouse areas important to defining the overallcharacter of the light station as thelighthouse itself. The ancillary structuresthat comprise a light station�keepers'quarters, fog signal building, oil house,cisterns, privy, storage buildings, barn,boat sheds, etc., and the manipulatedlandscape�berms, sidewalks and pathways,

Figure 2. View of the two light towers at Cape Henry,Virginia. The relationship of the two generations oflighthouses is part of the cultural landscape at the CapeHenry Light Station.

and plantings, compromise the culturallandscape of the light station.Archeological sites in the vicinity ofpreviously existing buildings or possibleprehistoric sites also contribute to thecultural landscape. These features and theirrelationship to one another are character-defining and therefore should be preserved.The following are general guidelines forhistoric light station site preservation basedon the Secretary of the Interior's Standardsfor the Treatment of Historic Properties

Figure 3. Outbuildings, fences, and walkways are all partof the cultural landscape of a historic light station.

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Figure 1. Historic aerial viewof Anclote Key Light Station,Florida.

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Figure 4. Some light station sites are part of a larger cultural landscape such as this early 20th-century lighthouse on a salient of Fort Wadsworth, a Civil-War-era stone fort in New York Harbor.

Figure 5. A simple sketch site plan records the relationship of a light station's buildings and features. This type ofrecordation should be dated and filed with the lighthouse maintenance records. (WPTC drawing by H. Thomas McGrath)

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with Guidelines for the Treatment ofCultural Landscapes (1996).

General Site Recommendations� Identify all character-defining features of the

light station�s site, including all associatedancillary structures; manipulated landscape forthe purpose of facilitating the operation of thelight station; and any plantings such as fruittrees, shade trees, gardens, and archeologicalsites. If potential archeological sites are notreadily identifiable, contact a professionalarcheological firm to perform an archeologicalsite survey. Once all features are identified,they should be documented photographicallyand located on a site plan that is kept with thelight station maintenance file.

� Evaluate the existing condition of materials andfeatures to determine whether more thanprotection and maintenance are required, thatis, if repairs to light station building and sitefeatures will be necessary.

� Provide continued protection of historic lightstation building materials and plant featuresthrough appropriate cleaning, rust removal,limited paint removal, reapplication ofprotective coating systems, and pruning andvegetation management.

� Repair features of the buildings and site byreinforcing historic materials using recognizedpreservation methods. The new work should beunobtrusively dated to guide future research andtreatment.

� Do not remove historic materials that could berepaired, use improper repair techniques, or failto document new work.

� When performing any work on the lighthouse orsite, retain the historic relationship betweenhistoric buildings and the landscape.

� When necessary, stabilize deteriorated ordamaged historic site features as a preliminarymeasure before undertaking appropriatepreservation work.

� To avoid diminishing the station�s character, donot alter site features which are important indefining the overall historic character of theproperty.

� Do not remove or relocate historic light stationbuildings or landscape features, thus destroying

the historic relationship between the lighthouse,the buildings, and the landscape.

Figure 6. The relationship of the keeper's quarters to itssupport buildings, in this case a privy and a storagebuilding, are essential to understanding how the lightkeeper lived and worked.

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Figure 7. The relationship of this oil house (right) andgenerator building (left) show the variety of structuresassociated with a manned light station.

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Figure 8. These circa WWII observation towers are part ofthe evolution of the light station site.

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Figure 9. View of ahighly intact historic lightstation in California. Allprincipal structures thatmade up the light stationare intact including thelarge concrete rain watercatchment (in theforeground) and thebelow-grade wood cisterns(just the lids are visible inthe center of the photo)used to store the rainwaterto produce steam for thefog signal. Thepreservation of a site atthis level of integrity isessential to understandingthe relationship of the lightstation buildings and theircontribution to thestation’s overall operation.

Figures 10 (left) and 11 (above). Views of potentialarcheological sites.

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Archeological Recommendations � Minimize disturbance of terrain around

buildings or elsewhere on the site, thusreducing the possibility of destroying ordamaging important landscape features orarcheological resources.

� Survey and document areas where the terrainwill be altered to determine the potential impactto important landscape features or archeologicalresources.

� Protect important archeological resources bypreserving them in place.

� When preservation in place is not feasible, planand carry out any necessary investigations usingprofessional archeologists and modernarcheological methods.

� Do not introduce heavy machinery into areaswhere it may disturb or damage importantarcheological resources.

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� Do not permit unqualified personnel to performdata recovery on archeological resources. Thiswill prevent the loss of important archeologicalmaterial through improper methodology. (See�Archeological Documentation� under Part VI.,Resources for additional information.)

� Do not leave known archeological materialunprotected so that it is damaged duringpreservation work.

Landscape Features � Preserve important landscape features; this

includes ongoing maintenance of historic plantmaterial.

� Protect and maintain the light station buildingsand sites by providing proper drainage to assurethat water does not erode foundation walls,drain toward the buildings, or damage or erodethe landscape.

� Do not introduce heavy machinery into areaswhere it may disturb or damage importantlandscape features.

� Do not allow important landscape features to belost or damaged through lack of maintenance.

� Do not advertise location of archeological sites,unless protection mechanisms are in place.

Security � Protect light station buildings, landscape

features, and archeological sites against arsonand vandalism before preservation work begins,i.e., erect protective fencing and install alarmsystems that are keyed into local protectionagencies. If possible, contact the localcommunity to see if the light station site canbecome part of a police patrol or neighborhoodwatch program.

Limited Replacement In Kind � Replace in kind extensively deteriorated or

missing parts of the light station buildings or sitewhere there are surviving prototypes such aspartial building remains, part of a fence,portions of a walkway, or parts of other sitefeatures. New work should match the old inmaterials, design, color, and texture, and beunobtrusively dated to guide future research andtreatment.

� Do not replace an entire feature of the buildingor site when limited replacement of deterioratedand missing parts is appropriate.

� Do not use replacement material that does notmatch the building site feature, or fail toproperly document the new work.

Figure 12. Historic plantings, such as this ice plant (the ground cover at the bottom of the image)planted as a fire break around the light station structures, are part of the light station’s culturallandscape and should be preserved.

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