As with every lighthouse project, there are no blueprints to follow, every slate section was meticulously measured, and every detail was preplanned from the exact cuts the slate vendor had to make to crating and shipping and ultimately to moving these weighty pieces up the hill and then up the tower! The wooden cabinet on the service room floor and the antique kerosene holding tanks on the receiving floor had to be moved. This created the opportunity (having drained and dismantled the tanks) to clean and repaint the holding tanks!
Removing the slate floors allowed us to see the original builder’s craftsmanship. It also allowed us to repair the rust on the beams that supported the old floors so that they would be in great shape to last another 160 years!
This project is another successful component of the U.S. Ambassador's Fun for Cultural preservation is partnership with the U.S. Embassy Nassau