The Esopus Meadows Lighthouse

July 2008 Restoration Update

Joel — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:44:35 +0000

The following items have been completed or nearly completed during the month of July 2008:

The concrete rim has been poured and looks great (see pictures below)
Wooden steps are in place for the kitchen.
The watch room floor and stairs have now been scraped and varnished (see pictures below)
The bathroom is mostly finished except for the plumbing and the toilet solution.
The bathroom wainscoting is complete.
The bathtub needs to be brought down from Certified Marine before the banister goes back up on the staircase.

The following items are still “in progress” and on-going:

The bedroom floors still need work, scraping and sanding before they are varnished
There is still some trim painting to do.
Sanding, priming, painting of various windows is still an on-going job

Upcoming jobs:

Painting – The Ulster County Sheriff work release program will be painting the outside of the lighthouse at the end of August. It will be completely stripped, then sealed and hand painted (not sprayed on). We are looking for the LOAN of scaffolding to allow us to reach the upper half of the lighthouse.

The following is a slide show of the granite base work being done

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

The following is a slide show of the watch room floor and stairs with a fresh coat of varnish on them.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Photos of Granite Base

Saltyshar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:57:43 +0000

Check out the great photos of our new granite base.

Flickr: Your Photostream Esopusmeadows.

There are additional photos that others have placed on our Lighthouse.

R/V Estuary Steward Information

Joel — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:21:24 +0000

The Estuary Steward is owned and operated by Save Esopus Lighthouse Commission, a not for profit 501 (c) (3)

Custom Built in 2001
42 foot Aluminum Shallow Draft
US Coast Guard Inspected
Twin 135 HP Mercury Outboard Engines
Enclosed Canvas
Enclosed Marine Head
Ramp off the bow
Port/Starboard Entrances
Bench seating
Capacity 45
US Coast Guard Captains

The Estuary Steward is available for charter at the following rates:

$500 4 hours (1/2 day)
$750 8 hours (full day)

Arrangements can be made by calling Sharon Jones at 845-339-3060

In Need of!

Saltyshar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:05:06 +0000

Looking for three items to finish the kitchen.
* Kitchen sink, late 20’s early 30’s era. Farm style
* Refrigerator of the same era.
* Stove of the same era.
Please send photos or call Sharon @845-339-3060 or John @ 845-297-1569
or e-mail: Esopuslighthouse@aol.com
We can purchase or you can donate. IRS letter available to donor.

Looking for Lighthouse & River History.

Saltyshar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:54:59 +0000

We are looking for Prints, Photos, Books, Bits n’ Pieces of River
and Lighthouse history. This information will be made available
to the guests of the Lighthouse. We will gladly pay for copies to be made
of any information if you want to hold onto your originals. If you would
like to talk to our Historian about events that you remember of the
Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, give Pat a call. Pat Ralston is our lighthouse
historian and a fountain of information. She remembers everything that
is past on to her and will be the major contributor to the history room.
She has been collecting information on her own for many years. Please, help her
fill in the blanks. Any information in print or photos are vital to preserving our
history.
Contributors names will be noted in the History Room.
IRS Tax Letter can be presented to contributor for donation.

Call Pat @ 845-297-1569 or e-mail: Esopuslighthouse@aol.com

In need of 1920-1930 era furnishings!

Saltyshar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:43:43 +0000

We are looking for donations of bedroom & living room lamps, stands, dressers, rugs, linens, kitchen goods, etc.
We will be decorating the rooms in preparation for the Grand Opening of the Lighthouse, next June 2009.
Items need to be from the late 20’s early 30’s era. (Not art deco, please.)
Items must be in good working order and able to with-stand temperature changes.
The lighthouse will not be heated during the winter months.
In-kind donation letters can be presented to donor for tax purposes.
Please call Pat @ 845-297-1569 or Sharon @ 845-339-3060.

In need of Volunteers!

Saltyshar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:25:37 +0000

If you have some spare time to give to a worthy cause, give us a call.  We are in need of
volunteers who would like to help paint interior rooms.  This lighthouse is located in the
middle of the river and must be acessed by boat. You will spend a great day on the river,
inside one of the oldest working lighthouses on the Hudson  River.
Dress cool, sneakers and bring a box lunch.
You will leave this lighthouse knowing that you have contributed
to restoring a piece of history for our future generations to enjoy. The boat leaves Norrie
Pt. on Sunday and Mondays. Schedules are posted on this site and e-mails will be sent
once we have your e-mail address. We may be able to make arrangements for Saturday
or weekdays if there are enough workers to help with the painting. Give us a call or e-mail.
Your time will be greatly appreciated.
Call Sharon @ 845-331-1478 or 845-339-3060 or John @ 845-297-1569.
E-mail: Saltyshar@aol.com or JohnR9550@aol.com.

Work Parties to Restore the Lighthouse Sundays and Mondays

Joel — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:37:04 +0000

Its that time of the year when we again begin work parties to restore the lighthouse.

The more volunteers the quicker we get done. Plan to come and help.

The normal schedule is Sundays and Mondays, departing at 9:00 AM and returning about 5:00 PM. The barge departs from Norrie Point marina on Sundays, and departs from Tilden Street on Mondays.

Wear old clothes, bring your lunch, favorite tools and join the crew.

Last minute confirmation of work schedule will be available on 845-331-4083. The weekend plans will be recorded each Thursday evening and updated should there be a last minute change due to weather or what ever. Check before departing for Norrie. Leave a message if you have questions.

January 2008 newsletter published

Joel — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:20:49 +0000

The January 2008 edition of the Save Esopus Lighthouse Commission is now available here. All members should have received a copy. If you haven’t, please call to make sure we have your correct mailing address.

Restoration update for 2007

Joel — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:32:23 +0000

As the 2007 season came to a close, we looked back at what progress was made at the lighthouse:

All the walls were painted by the Ulster County Sheriff’s work release crew
A ceramic tile floor was installed in the bathroom.
John Ralston designed a wainscoting knee wall, similar to the existing wainscoting in the kitchen; Sam Pierce managed to install most of it before we closed for the winter.
Joe Weisblatt & Ed Weber completed the installation of the dual electrical system. Approximately half the building outlets and all the lights are supplied by a solar powered inverter. The other half of the outlets are supplied by a 10 KW diesel generator in the basement.
The bedroom ceiling lights installed by the coast guard have been refurbished and reinstalled. Bulbs are the power saving compact florescent but have the shape of the old incandescent lamps.
A number of people participated in on-going scraping of woodwork and repairing woodwork around the house.
Bedroom woodwork and entrances have been primed and the first coat of finish paint applied.
A Cistern tank holding 750 gallons of water has been reinstalled in the basement and plumbing added for a wash spigot on the side of the building.
The new front doors, replicating the original ones have been installed and look terrific.
Lastly, the railings have been removed to get refurbished along with the stair railings over the winter.

These were the major accomplishments of the 2007 season. More information and details will be in the newsletter being sent to members in the 1st quarter of 2008.