For the past three days, work in the office has been accompanied by the melodious ring of hammers and staple guns. There is currently a replacement in the works of the tin roofs on both the LAMP headquarters and the maintenance shed on the Lighthouse grounds. The idea is to recreate the roofs as they once were, by replacing the tin sheets with aromatic cedar shingles. They actually make it smell quite nice when exiting and entering the building.
The LAMP headquarters once served as a World War II barracks for the US Coast Guard. We have also been told that the maintenance shed served as a storage unit or garage for Coast Guard Jeeps, sparking our interest in acquiring a few to recreate the 1940’s feel.
Upon removal of the tin roof on the LAMP office, the construction team recovered papers written and signed by the original roofers in 1942. Also revealed to us all were the primary shingles which are made of cypress with the makers mark present.
The paper was recovered and samples of the shingles were taken as well, and are now undergoing conservation.
Our conservationist, Kathleen McCormick, has been enlisted to commence the conservation and hopefully construct a display for the Lighthouse. We are excited to see how that all turns out!!