In the winter of 1916, Point Breeze was witness to a vicious storm that wiped away the Oak Orchard lighthouse and the pier it stood on, leaving the structure to be but a distant memory until 2003 when a group of dedicated volunteers devised a plan to rebuild history.
“We’re trying to build as historically accurate as we can with the information we have from the National Archives,” said Jamie Kowalski, a member of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum Board of Trustees.
The original lighthouse stood on the west side of the Oak Orchard River. It was 1,600 feet into the lake until its demise in 1916. Today, reconstruction is planned on the east side of the harbor at Point Breeze where the replica will be anchored to bedrock 20 feet below the surface. This anchor will ensure a longer life than its predecessor.
The seven-member Board of Trustees is comprised of the same people it was in 2003 when it was formed. Richard Anderson is the current president after taking over for Margaret Wiley, its founder, in June. At this point, with most of their permits acquired, the board and their fellow volunteers have been working on fundraising and grant applications.
The Board of Trustees is currently appealing to businesses for a new round of donations as they strive to meet the total project cost of $172,266.
“If we bring in more tourism, people are going to come, stay and spend their money here,” Anderson said. He also noted the not-for-profit status of the Museum means all donations are tax deductible.
A dinner presentation will be held on August 10 with proceeds benefiting the reconstruction project. Dan Scoville and Jim Kennard will detail their discovery of a schooner found near Oak Orchard Harbor. The 19th century vessel is believed to be the “Milan,” which sank in 1849 off the southern shore of Lake Ontario.
An ongoing fundraiser includes the sale of bricks that will make up the walkway near the lighthouse. Individuals and families can make a $50 donation and design a personalized brick.
“This will be here for generations and generations — when people buy bricks they’re a part of it all,” Wiley said.
The Museum Board is hoping to get as many people involved as possible and also plans to sell engravings on four benches and a compass rose made of Medina Sandstone that will complete the brick walkway.
Initial plans set aside the spring of 2007 for the start of construction but that goal had to be postponed. With only one-third of the money raised, Anderson said the committee is going to buckle down with fundraising and hope to break ground next summer.
“But, building the lighthouse is just a step on the way,” Anderson said.
After construction of the lighthouse is complete, the board needs to find a space to house the museum’s artifacts. With very little space inside the lighthouse, a museum will need to be formed elsewhere.
Wiley said she hopes they will be able to find a place near the lighthouse, but the next best location is along the Erie Canal. The museum will not focus solely on Point Breeze but on maritime history in general, including that of the canal.
Wiley thinks this team has been able to succeed in plans to rebuild when, in the past, groups have failed because of timing, she said. People are more interested in an anchor to the past and more appreciative of history.
“This is the kind of project that can make things better for everyone in the county,” Wiley said. “People are looking for history and roots and I think with everything that’s happened in the past few years, people are looking for that kind of thing.”
Lifestyle
Related Photos
-
Tara Garcia Mathewson/Intern
Discussion
BRIGHT LIGHT: PLans to rebuild Oak Orchard Lighthouse underway at Point Breeze
- Lifestyle
-
-
Family ties come in time
When it comes to genealogy, all you need to do sometimes is catch a break.
-
Imagination is a wonderful — and scary — thing
Tiger, squirrel, what's the difference when you're 2?
-
The law of conservation of energy — with kids
Watching the thundering herd pass us, the father shook his head ... and called to the children:
“How can you have so much energy when I’m so tired?”
We looked at each other and laughed, each then, perhaps, seeing our future in the tired parents. To this day, eight years later, there are still moments when we look at our kids, then each other, and repeat those words. -
Albany man visits WNY-based hockey legend
An Albany-area man was the guest of hockey legend Scotty Bowman when the Stanley Cup made what seems like its nearly annual trek to Bowman’s Amherst home.
-
NT-based service offers support, counseling to cancer patients
There used to be a time when the word “cancer” wasn’t even in most people’s vocabularies.
Rather than utter the disease’s name, according to Hillary Ruchlin, people would use the term “the big C” to denote what illness they were talking about.
Times have changed for the better, said Ruchlin, executive director of the Cancer Wellness Center in North Tonawanda. People now know that there is hope. -
Parenting can be easy to say but hard to do
The parental saying is so commonly used that it’s almost become cliché: “I would do anything for my children.”
But what they don’t tell you is that, some days, it’s harder than others to fulfill that mantra. -
Green Day is Rock Hall shoo-in
Green Day will one day see the inside of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — and I don't mean merely as a visitor.
-
Tonawanda native delivers some of TV world’s biggest scoops
When people want the latest big news about the goings-on in the world of television, they generally turn to the New York Times, Variety and other major media outlets.
When the reporters at those outlets want to get informed, they have been known to turn to a one-man operation that operates out of a small Florida bedroom. -
When a dad needs to be a dad
I don't condone the actions of vigilante fathers ... but I understand.
-
Reeves’ Buffalo film tests well
Early indications are that the Keanu Reeves that filmed throughout the Buffalo-Niagara region late last fall will be worth watching.
- More Lifestyle Headlines
-
Ravi Spared Prison in Rutgers Webcam Case
Miss. Prison Quiet After Riot; 1 Dead
Obama Confident Afghans Can Take Security Lead
Raw Video: Deadly Bombing at Yemen Parade Preps
Professor: Chinese Activist's 'Spirit Is Good'
Ring of Fire Eclipse Seen in U.S., Asia
Golden Gate Bridge Celebrates 75 Years
G-8 Seeks Unity on Euro-debt Crisis, Iran
Prosecutors: Trio Planned to Attack Obama's HQ
Obama: G8 Unified in Stance on Iran, Syria
