POMHAM ROCKS: Friends are running lighthouse tours all summer

From FACING PAGE shoreline. Gone are lighthouses at Sassafras Point, Sabin Point, Fuller Rocks and Bullocks Point, all destroyed by fire, storm or time.

The work continues

For as much as they’ve accomplished, the Friends know the work will never end. Just last week, they reconnected the gutters that feed from the roof of the lighthouse into a 4,900-gallon cistern in the basement. It is the only source of water on the island, so reconnecting the system is a big deal.

One of the next big projects will be to install replica wooden shutters over all the windows — both for authenticity and for protection during big storms.

They also plan to replace areas of chain-link fencing with wooden picket fencing reminiscent of what was there originally. An 80-year-old dock also needs repairs. Its pilings are rotting beneath and the deck timbers lift and move under the strain of big storms.

The Friends now have more than 200 active members. They sell T-shirts, hats and other paraphernalia from a gift shop inside the lighthouse. And they are always accepting donations for future maintenance and repairs. For more information about tours, the lighthouse and its history, go to: pomhamrockslighthouse.org/