When: Tuesday, May 1 @ 7:00 p.m.
Where: The Depot

Light refreshments will be served. There is no admission charge.  

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A MESSAGE FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

2007 provides a lasting opportunity for you to show your support for historic preservation by purchasing a lighthouse license plate.  As of January 1, the Michigan Secretary of State requires owners of vehicles with the old blue plate (white lettering) to replace those plates with a new one.  When you choose a new plate this year, please strongly consider the attractive Save Our Lights plate depicting the popular White Shoal Lighthouse in the Straits of Mackinac.  This is the only Michigan license plate that supports historic preservation.  All of the proceeds from these plates, including renewals, go toward the preservation of Michigan’s lighthouses—and we have more lighthouses than any other state.

For information about ordering one of these plates, visit
www.michigan.gov/sos.

Lighthouse license plate funds are distributed through the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program (MLAP) of the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), Michigan Department of History, Arts, and Libraries.  The SHPO also houses the manager of the Michigan Lighthouse Project (MLP), a consortium of federal and state agencies and advocates dedicated to facilitating the lighthouse transfer process and to identifying new stewards for federally-transferred lighthouses.  For more information about the MLAP or the MLP, visit
www.michigan.gov/shpo.

The following article (slightly abridged) will be published in the forthcoming issue of The Beacon, a publication of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association.  It was written by Martha MacFarlane-Faes, Michigan Lighthouse Project Manager, and provides more information about the license plate program and the many lighthouses it is helping.

“Michigan auto owners now have a choice of roughly two dozen different styles of license plates.  Perhaps you’ve seen the red, white and blue Save Our Lights plate, but been unaware of its significance to lighthouse preservation.

“The Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program was established by the Michigan legislature in 1999 to provide matching grants to local groups preserving and protecting lighthouses.  The program arose from the efforts of the Michigan Lighthouse Project and concern about the disposal of some seventy lighthouses by the U. S. Coast Guard.  The SHPO award has awarded more than $985,000 since the program’s first grant cycle in 2000, including $233,300 for the fiscal year 2007.  Since 2001, the MLAP, administered by SHPO, has been funded entirely by proceeds from the sale of the Save Our Lights license plate.  Each plate sold provides $25 to the fund, with each renewal providing $10.  The license plate sales generate an estimated $165,000 per year for the MLAP fund.

“Lighthouse grants are given to state and local governments or nonprofit organizations that own, are in the process of acquiring, or have a long-term lease on a lighthouse for the purpose of maintenance and restoration.  Private individuals are not eligible for these grants.  Recipients must provide matching funds equal to 50 per cent of the grant award.

“Grantees are expected to place a historic preservation easement on the property if this has not already been done through the federal property transfer process.  The easement requires that the lighthouse owner/lessee conducts all maintenance and restoration in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.  The SHPO provides technical assistance and review of all work to ensure appropriate treatment of the lighthouse.  In addition, the grant contract will provide similar stipulations, plus others, to ensure compliance with all necessary statutes and the terms of the grant.

“Every Save Our Lights license plate purchase helps ensure that our Great Lakes treasures will be enjoyed by future generations.  Michigan’s Lighthouse Assistance Program also provides valuable support to the dedicated communities and organizations that are charged with their care.  You can help save Michigan’s lights by purchasing a specialty license plate. 

“The State Historical Preservation Office assists in the identification, rehabilitation and interpretation of Michigan’s historic resources.

“With its second MLAP grant, the Charlevoix Historical Society ($34,000) will repair the South Pier Light roof, windows and doors; add drainage holes; replace two windows; install louvered grates  in the floor; install metal flashing and repair warping exterior steel plate skin.”

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BOSS NIGHT REMINDER!

Don’t forget that we are honoring Marilyn & Dale Boss for their years of contribution to the Historical Society and to the town with a potluck, a few photos, lots of stories, probably a poem, and a general good time.

When: Thursday, April 26 @ 6:00 p.m.
Where: The Depot

As requested in the past, bring a dish to pass and a serving utensil if needed, plus your own tableware and silver.  We will provide coffee, tea, drinking cups, and napkins.  The Depot is equipped with two microwaves, a fridge, and a range and oven for warming up or a little preparatory work.

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SPRING MUSEUM HOURS

The Harsha House Museum will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 1-4 p.m. through June 30.  The side office door is open at 11:00 a.m.

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PHOTO DIGITIZATION PROJECT COMPARISON

The New York Times Sunday edition of March 11, 2007 contained an extensive article in the Business Section titled “History, Digitized (and Abridged).” It reported on the problems that institutions across the country are encountering, both financial and time-wise, in digitally preserving their photo and document collections.  They have to face the agonizing decisions of what to select for preservation and how much of their resources they can devote to this endeavor.

The future for some of them does not look promising. “. . . at the National Archives, the repository for some nine billion documents, only a small fraction are likely to be digitized . . . And at thousands of smaller, local collections around the country, the bulk of the material is languishing on yesterday’s media: paper, LPs, magnetic tape, and film.    

“Consider the Library of Congress archive of one million photo prints from the New York World-Telegram & Sun; only 5407 have been digitized.  Of the 1.2 million images from U. S. News & World Report, the Library has digitized only 366.  Its collection of five million images from Look magazine, spanning the period from 1937 to 1971 . . . only 313 of these have been digitized.”  That is a total of 6086. 

Enjoying nowhere near the resources of the Library of Congress or other such institutions, the Charlevoix Historical Society has digitized over 8700 (and counting) images from its collection, 7250 of which are stored on DVDs in a bank vault, with 1450 soon to follow.  With the recent receipt of the Big Rock Point Nuclear Plant photo archives and the enormous photo files of the Charlevoix Courier that stretch back to mid-20^th century, the Society hopes to have about 13,000 priceless images saved in the near future.  We have been able to do this with no governmental or public funding support, only through our memberships, patron sponsors, grants, and donations.

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DEPOT RESTORATION TO PROCEED

The Board of Directors has decided to proceed with the immediately necessary restoration of the Depot’s northwest end where the foundation is giving way, leading to a decided lean that is pulling on the attic rafter trusses.  This will mean foundation replacement and reinforcement, taking off the north wall interior paneling to strengthen the wall interior, plus other adjustments.  The cost for this phase is estimated at around $16,000.  A big thank-you to those who have contributed generously so far, and a reminder to the membership that anything you can spare for this important historical building will be greatly appreciated.  The exterior brick paver question will be addressed in the future.

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NEW BOOK EXPECTED BY SUMMER

In 1967 the Charlevoix Courier published former shoe store owner Don Campbell’s “History of Bridge Street” in fifteen installments, the writing of which was finished only two days before his death in 1963.  The series was illustrated with photos from his personal collection, that of photographer Bob Miles, and from other collections around town.  Now Don’s daughter, summer resident Anne Bandfield, will be publishing the articles in book form for the benefit of the Society, illustrated by over eighty photos from the Society’s Bob Miles Photo Collection, most of which have never been published before. The book (about 95 pages) is in its final editing phase, and should be available by early summer.