Granite Lighthouse Marker Completed

Richard Jones, holding friend Dolly, completed a brick base for the granite Cape St. George Light marker with the help of Jim Kemp and grandson Mark Jones.

A large piece of granite from one of the window surrounds of the Cape St. George Light has found new life as a marker designating the lighthouse and the four years of its constructions.

Brick mason and SGLA member and volunteer Richard Jones today completed a brick base for the granite stone. He used what we believe to be the oldest of the recovered lighthouse bricks for the base. Called "chocolate chip" bricks by the lighthouse brick cleaners because of the carbon particles in the clay, these bricks are oddly shaped and so were not used in the reconstruction. Fortunately, there were just enough of them to enable Richard to build an elegant base for the granite, which had previously been engraved by Kenny Horah of Southern Sand Designs.

The St. George Lighthouse Association is determined to utilize as many of the recovered pieces of the original lighthouse as possible, either in the reconstruction or for display in the park or museum. Not all of the granite window surrounds were recovered, so only granite lintels were installed in the reconstructed lighthouse, leaving this large piece which made a perfect marker.

The next challenge is to find an appropriate way to display the presrved original lantern room pieces, currently in storage.

Posted by Administrator - Saturday, 02/28/09, 07:41 AM - Comments - Category: News