After the structure sat virtually untouched for nearly two decades, the owner of the Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse in Delaware Bay is reigniting an effort to restore the historic beacon that sits approximately 3.5 mi. off the coast of Bowers Beach, Del.
Michael Lynn Gabriel purchased the 19th century lighthouse during an online auction in 2007 for $200,000. At the time, he had big plans for the structure, but health issues at the time precluded him from pursuing any projects, the Cape Gazette in Lewes, Del. reported Sept. 9.
Gabriel, who lives on the West Coast, had a meeting with the U.S. Coast Guard in July, and the hope is that the agency can participate in restoring the lighthouse, which remains fully operational.
He said the timing works out because the Coast Guard will soon be upgrading the lighthouse's batteries and solar component. More usable space can be created inside the structure, he added, once the agency positions the batteries closer to the lighthouse's walls.
The most important thing to do right now, Gabriel told the Gazette, is to create a powered lift for people and equipment to access the lighthouse.
"I want people to be able to go on and off the lighthouse easily without climbing dangerous, wet ladders 30 feet in the air," he said.
Besides bringing in the Coast Guard to help in the restoration process, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also will be consulted on whether it can design a dock at the base of the structure.
Gabriel's ultimate goal is to restore what was removed from the lighthouse 50 years ago when its operation became automated.
"To this day, no one at the Coast Guard can explain why they gutted lighthouses rather than simply putting a lock on the doors," he said.
A GoFundMe page to collect money for the Fourteen Foot Bank Light restoration efforts was established by Gabriel, but he also hopes to acquire future grants for the project.
The lighthouse is named after an oval shoal of the same name in Delaware Bay.
Structure Was the First Lighthouse Built With Pneumatic Caissons
Prior to a lighthouse being constructed at the site, the area was monitored by a lightship. However, harsh winters often forced the lightship to abandon its post and seek refuge behind the breakwater off Lewes. In 1878, a lighthouse was finally recommended to ensure around-the-clock warnings to passing ships.
Construction of the lighthouse took place from 1885 to 1887, and it became the first such light in the nation to be constructed using the pneumatic caisson method. The wooden base and the cast-iron cylinder were made on shore and sailed to the shoal from Lewes, located approximately 20 mi. to the west.
The keeper's house atop the caisson is a two-story, cast-iron dwelling, fabricated by Messrs. H.A. Ramsay & Son of Baltimore, Md. It also had a basement between the first floor and the concrete base of the caisson cylinder.
According to the website Lighthousefriends.com, the Fourteen Foot Bank Light's original builders moored the old 200-ft.-long steamer Moro Castle at the construction site with six anchors, and its massive deck was used to store machinery, sand, broken stones, timber, a kitchen and quarters for the workers, while coal, cement and sections of the cylinder and air shaft were placed below deck.
In addition, secured amidships was a boom derrick capable of lifting 2 tons and reaching 30 ft.
In a near-disaster, shortly before work on the foundation was complete, the Moro Castle parted her moorings and started to drift toward the cylinder. To lessen the impending impact, a couple of alert workers dropped fenders over the side of the cylinder.
When the ship struck the lighthouse's foundation, the joints between the plates of iron on which some workers were sitting opened up and latched on to a couple of the men's trousers. Not wanting to be left behind, they decided to slip out of their pants, which held them fast to the cylinder, and leapt on board the errant ship.
When completed, the construction project came in under budget at $125,000, and the Fourteen Foot Bank Light was finally activated in April 1887.
If the new 21st century rehabilitation project comes to fruition, the Gazette noted, Gabriel plans to restore the structure's three bedrooms and two bathrooms as well as update the kitchen with period-appropriate appliances. He also wants to power the living space with a wind generator.
In addition, Gabriel hopes to host tours and possibly offer the living space as a bed and breakfast.
