SALEM — The Essex National Heritage Commission recently completed critical masonry restoration work at the 234-year-old Baker’s Island Light Station with opportunities to tour the site later this month.
The $30,000 preservation project sought to preserve the structural integrity of the historic lighthouse tower and keepers’ houses for future generations. The work, which took place throughout the summer, included repointing of the lighthouse’s brick masonry interior and restoration of three historic brick chimneys on the keepers’ houses, according to Essex Heritage.
The lighthouse, one of the oldest in the nation, had urgently needed restoration for some time, the commission indicates, as the old mortar had turned to powder in many places throughout the interior. With repointing and repairs completed, the only work remaining is applying a finish coat over the interior before the end of the season.
All work was completed in compliance with the secretary of the interior’s standards for rehabilitation using historically appropriate materials and techniques to preserve the lighthouse’s historic character, Essex Heritage indicates.
The project was led by Martin J. Nally, a preservation mason with more than 31 years experience restoring 20 lighthouses for the U.S. Coast Guard along with mason Matthew Holland. The project is also building upon Essex Heritage’s previous restoration of the lighthouse’s iron lantern room, completed in 2024.
“This project represents the critical importance of community support in historic preservation,” Essex Heritage CEO Annie Harris CEO said. “With federal funding for historic preservation increasingly uncertain, the generous response from our community and foundation partners made it possible to address these urgent preservation needs before they escalated into much more costly repairs.”
The restoration work was made possible through a combination of foundation grants and community support.
This included $2,500 from the U.S. Lighthouse Society for lighthouse tower repointing, $5,000 from Preservation Massachusetts in collaboration with the 1772 Foundation for chimney restoration, $5,000 from New England Lighthouse Lovers Inc., $10,000 raised through the community Preserve the Light campaign, and additional funds from Essex Heritage.
On Sunday, Aug. 24, Holland is scheduled to return to Bakers Island Light to lead a tour of the restoration work completed at the lighthouse. The tour will enable visitors to see the preserved craftsmanship up close and learn about the specialized techniques used in the project.
Tickets are limited to 18 passengers and can be purchased at bakersislandlight.org/visit/.
Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202