>> Click to enlarge << New exterior panels were put on the tower after ...

New Hampshire's scenic Lake Sunapee has been a tourist magnet for more than a century, and it was during the late 19th century heyday of steamboat travel on the lake that three wooden lighthouses were built. The lighthouses are owned by the State of New Hampshire and are maintained by the nonprofit Lake Sunapee Protective Association (LSPA). As reported in the November 2003 issue of Lighthouse Digest, the 27-foot Herrick Cove Lighthouse was removed from its foundation on the lake last fall by helicopter and was taken to shore for repairs. The base was also restored while the tower was onshore.

>> Click to enlarge << The framework of the tower was flown by ...

After nine months of restoration, the tower was put back on its base in early July. Norm Gavin of Sunapee once again donated the costs of the helicopter from Helicopter Lift Co. of Wallingford, Connecticut. The framework and the 700-pound top piece of the tower were brought out by helicopter to its foundation, where volunteers of the LSPA guided it gently into the proper position. The exterior panels were brought out separately by barge. The tower was completely reassembled by July 18, 2004.

>> Click to enlarge << The top of the tower was transported by ...

The new exterior panels are relatively maintenance-free and should look great for many years to come. Court Cross, chair of the LSPA's lighthouse committee, says the panels won't need painting and “will last another hundred years, easily.”

Cross has a view of the lake and Herrick Cove Lighthouse from his home. The lighthouse now doubles as a memorial and is known to many as “Ginger's Light” in memory of his daughter Ginger Cross Shaw, who died in 1996. A plaque will be placed on the lighthouse in Ginger's memory.

This story appeared in the October 2004 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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