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News & Fundraising Events
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Last updated March 2, 2010
February Construction start on Oak Orchard Lighthouse
January 10, 2010
Representatives from the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Committee and Chatfield Engineers met with Nathaniel Development Corporation, Orleans County Tourism, and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation on January 8th to nail down final details and start date to rebuild the historic Oak Orchard Lighthouse at Oak Orchard Harbor on Lake Ontario. Nathaniel Development Corporation of Rochester, New York was awarded the project with a bid of $163,984.00.
Nathaniel expects to break ground mid-late February, with a final completion date of June 1st. This is good news for tourists & boaters, western New York, and the Orleans County community. Located on the Seaway Trail and within the Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor, Oak Orchard Harbor, well known for its first class fishery, will once again have a lighthouse to mark its harbor after 94 years. The original lighthouse, built in 1871 on the harbor's west side on a pier almost 1000' from shore, was abandoned by the Federal Government in 1905. It rapidly fell into disrepair and by 1916 a December squall swept away what remained of the structure.The tower light, thought not Coast Guard regulated, will approximate the intensity of a streetlight, and at 32' tall, the historic replica will stand as a monument to help guide sea travelers to safe harbor. The original steel oil house will be returned to the harbor on permanent loan by the historic Cobblestone Museum in Gaines, New York, where it has been carefully housed for many years.
The National Archives in Washington, DC provided the historic documents that made this replication possible. The original light was of the 4th Order, the fresnel illuminating apparatus by Barbier, Benard & Turenne, of Paris, France, described as a '360 degree lens lantern'...'fixed white'...with a '5-day tank attachment'. The inside diameter of the central drum was 11-13/16”, with 3 prisms above and 3 prisms below. Though a replacement for the original light could not be operational in the lighthouse, the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum plans on seeking one to display in its future museum.
Personalized, engraved bricks to grace the circular walkway at the site are available for $50. The walkway will include a sitting area with local Medina sandstone benches crafted by George Graham, one of the last stone-cutters. The stone was salvaged from old sidewalks from the nearby historic Erie Canal Village of Albion. The walkway will eventually feature a compass rose of native Medina sandstone and blue and white granite. A Children's Peace Garden providing food and cover for migratory birds is included in future planning.
Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum committee is awarded an important grant
May 28, 2009
The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum Committee is very pleased to announce they have been awarded a an important and critical grant that will enable reconstruction to begin of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse at Point Breeze, Oak Orchard Harbor, Orleans County. The $85,000 Environmental Protection Fund award matches local funds raised by the committee for the historic reconstruction. The total estimated cost for the timber-framed historically correct structure, with accompanying site elements consisting of the Children’s Peace Garden, the circular brick walkway with compass rose and benches carved of native Medina Stone, is estimated at $170,000.
The realization of this project to Orleans County promises to revitalize the area by drawing heritage travelers along the Seaway Trail and the Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor. This project is one of many in the western New York area focused on creating a tourism and recreation based economy by re-creating their rich history and heritage for public benefit and community enhancement. Upon completion of the lighthouse, the committee will focus on establishment of a maritime museum to promote local and regional history.
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Spring-Summer 2009
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The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum has received a committed grant of $25,000!
The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum is pleased to announce the support of Senator Maziarz in their quest to rebuild history with the construction of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse at Point Breeze in Carlton. A grant of $25,000 has been committed for the project, expected to break ground in 2007. The project, which was initiated in 2003 by a group of volunteers dedicated to restoring the maritime history of the area, has attained significant milestones in the 3-1/2 years since its inception. These include the establishment of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum under a provisional charter granted by the New York State Education Department’s Board of Regents and status as 501c3 not-for-profit organization.
These milestones validate the historical and educational value of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum and its goals to the community here in Orleans County. The show of support from Senator Maziarz highlights the value of our area as a tourist destination. When constructed, the Oak Orchard Lighthouse will attract visitors and history seekers along the Seaway Trail, and enhance Orleans County’s harbor entrance at Point Breeze.
Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum Hires Chatfield Engineers
12 April 2006: The Oak Orchard Lighthouse project is making great progress, with the recent hiring of Chatfield Engineers, of Greece, New York. The committee met with Chatfield and representatives of New York State Office of Parks and Recreation and Orleans County on Monday, April 10 at the Albion Visitor Center to firm up the agreement. Chatfield will engineer, design and assist with the construction of the replica lighthouse that will be built at the county-leased state owned park located at the northeast tip of Oak Orchard Harbor, in Point Breeze (Carlton) on Lake Ontario. The 501c3 not-for-profit Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum Committee anticipates the structure to be up no later than 2007. Funds are expected from grants and the continued support from the public. Successful fundraising through dinner dances, sales of lighthouse related items, donations and memberships have brought the grass-roots community project to reality.
Along with bringing more tourism to Orleans County, the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum, chartered under the New York State Education Department, will promote and preserve the rich maritime history of the area through educational programming opportunities. It is hoped the local project will tie the Erie Canal and Seaway Trail, to create a unique tourist destination. The Erie Canal and Lake Ontario are only 8.5 miles distant from each other in Orleans, with many points of interest along the way. This is the closest the Erie Canal comes to Lake Ontario in New York State, creating opportunities for the canal towns of Orleans, as well as the harbor area.
The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum is in the Lighthouse Digest again!
After obtaining not-for-profit (501c3) status, the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum is mentioned in the April 2006 issue of Lighthouse Digest. Click here to view the article.
Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum Attains Not-For-Profit Status
After nine long months of waiting to hear on their application to the IRS for Not-For-Profit status, the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum is now a 501c3 organization. With this designation, donations to the museum are now fully tax-deductible for the donor. This is a giant step for the museum, which started with a few interested people meeting in the Orleans Marine Park in the summer of 2003, to explore the possibility of rebuilding the lighthouse that once graced the entrance to Oak Orchard Harbor. The 501c3 not-for-profit status should step up fundraising, with a lighthouse at Point Breeze being constructed in the near future.
Our 1st Annual Chicken B-B-Q Fundraiser was a BIG Success and we even made the NEWS!
It was truly gratifying to see the hundreds of people from Orleans County as well as Monroe, Erie, Niagara and Genesee counties, who came to support the Oak Orchard Lighthouse rebuilding fundraiser that was held on March 12, 2005 at the Carlton Fireman’s Rec Hall. The can-do spirit and attitude of everyone that came to the chicken barbecue was proof that “we the people” can indeed accomplish good things when we work together and support each other. Almost $3000 was raised in one night for this project! The event was a celebration of our own self-empowerment, an affirmation that this community welcomes a project that will bring alive our history, enrich our culture, and encourage tourism, thereby boosting our economy here.
The Oak Orchard Harbor Light Committee is deeply grateful for the support that was shown. We thank all those who worked so hard to make the fundraiser a success, the businesses and citizens who donated their precious time and goods.
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We've been featured in the January - February 2005 issue of Lighthouse Digest!
Click the Lighthouse magazine to read the article
