The League of Historic Reclamationists

[Churchwarden]

I am currently researching the possibility of starting a not for profit organization that would seek to reclaim and refurbish items of histoic signifigance before they are lost to the ages. As of now I have my sights set on a specific list of historic landmarks that can be had for next to nothing and are quickly being lost to the ages. I am posting this item here out of curiosity to see if any of you good people might be interested in participating in such a venture?

[Adml. Etherington]

I'm sorry, but I must say, I find your inquiry in the last sentence rather silly. Of course some of us "good people" are interested in such a venture! See the reactions to the thread about the Untergunther for evidence of this fact.

Please, by all means, elaborate post-haste!

[Von Gast]

Your principle problem will be funding. I speak as one who has followed railway preservation for some years and seen the very occasional lucky group get funding for complete rebuilds while others struggle to keep their projects secure from vandals. A secure base, transportation for materials/artifacts, etc are easy to organise as long as you can find sufficient funding.

[Churchwarden]

My apologies, to start, for being vague. The first things I have my sights set upon are a number of old light houses. These brilliant structures are being lost and falling into ill-repair, and to be honest, the government here in the states is having a hard time giving them away.

For example:

Cleveland Harbor East Pierhead Light Cleveland, Ohio May 1, 2007

The light station described on the attached sheet has been determined to be excess to the needs of the United States Coast Guard. Pursuant to the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 (NHLPA), 16 U.S.C. 470, this property is being made available at no cost to eligible entities defined as federal agencies, state and local agencies, non-profit corporations, educational agencies, or communitydevelopment organizations, for education, park, recreation, cultural, or historic preservation purposes.

A light station had existed in the area since 1831. Previous tower on the site included a 32-foot pyramidal wooden tower on the East Pier that was built in 1869 and rebuilt in 1875. The pierhead on which the tower sits was rebuilt in 1948 after a collision.



Considering the "no cost" for aquiring such a property, and the fact that as a historic preservation organization funding should be fairly easy...I'm hoping. This just seems a perfect opporunity to actually use my abilities and time to do something relevant and meaningful.

[Smaggers]

Wowser, no cost.  Shame it's not really big enough to live in. 

[Churchwarden]

These structures are usually four to five levels tall, with two seperate sleeping quarters, a work shop, and a living area. In some cases they even have an attached structure for living, depending on the location.

[akumabito]

Dude, you should totally go ahead with this if you think you can pull it off and get some major sponsors to restore that beautiful little lighthouse to proper working order!

[Atterton]

I think in Sweden there is a sound recording studio placed in an old lighthouse.

[Churchwarden]

it would make for an interesting environ for recording and writing, though I imagine the humidity would wreak havok on the equipment.

[Phineas Lamar Alexander]

 Find me one to live in, in Florida and I'm in! I have two attorneys that are in need of some pro bono work for non profit organizations. It is possible the initial set up would be relatively expensive from a legal stand point. I also have a friend who works at Lowes in the corp. office It may be something they would be interested in assisting with.

[heavyporker]

 Ohhhh... to live in a lighthouse. How incredible.


Guys, from a few moments' thought about the topic of restoring lighthouses... I think you might want to consider attaching a few solar panels or a windmill [by attaching, I mean set them up somewhere, run the power output to lighthouse. I didn't mean bolt the stuff onto the lighthouse itself!] to provide power on the cheap (over time) because over that scale of time, it might get a little pricey, especially if maintenance proves problematic. In regards to people and society in general, it's easy to get excited about something now, and sustain that enthusiasm for a few months or even a few years... but longer than that and I'd start sweating about the lighthouse's future. Providing its own on-site robust and low maintenance renewable energy source would be a smart move, in my opinion. 

[Churchwarden]

Phineas, I am on the Gulf Coast myself, so that may not be too far from possible. Initial set up could be a pain, but every interested connection helps make it possible...perhaps we could look into financial sponsorship, who knows it might look good for a company like lowes.

As far as self sustaining energy, its not a bad idea, with the advent of things like earthships and the like, there is a growing interest and market for such things. It is something to be considered seriously.

[Vienna Fahrmann]

     Dear Churchwarden,

     Go for it!

     Vienna

[Churchwarden]

Why thank you for the vote of support, I think I just may!

[Lady Lavinea Dreadful]

i think its a wonderful idea. are you speaking purely about refurbishing structures? or are you speaking more generally as in structures,vehicles,artifacts? if you are speaking purely of structures there is the Historical Preservation Society. However,they have very strict standards and only assist by way of funding individuals willing to restore a structure to its original(and they means that as literally as possible) stature.

On that note, you may also want to look into buying historical properties for back taxes. there is a 185 year old house in my home town that is rotting away because no one owns it. its selling for back taxes. if i had the cash i would buy it.

[Gnome]

It is one of my greatest hopes that once I get out to the Seattle area, finish with college, and get on my own two feet financially, that I'll be able to find a lighthouse within commuting distance of Bellevue or Renton WA, fix 'er up, and live there... Of course, just in case it turns out that I am unable to make that happen, I wholeheartedly support anyone who can do it before me!

Good luck with your endeavors!

[Phineas Lamar Alexander]

 ChurchWarden I am on the East Coast near Palm Beach! PM me with some more info on the light houses available and I will see if I can start putting together a proposal.