Lighthouse damaged by Hurricane Irma
As museums around the country prepared to celebrate Smithsonian magazine’s 13th annual Museum Day Live on Sept. 23 — and the Deerfield Beach Historical Society geared up to join them — one local piece of history was in danger of falling into the sea.
Six days after Hurricane Irma made a mess of South Florida, the nonprofit Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society sent out an SOS. The storm had wrecked the 110-year-old Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse in Pompano Beach — not mortally, but seriously, requiring repairs beyond the means of the all-volunteer preservation group.
The waves and wind damaged both the building and its site, fracturing the footings and foundation.
“Our only plan is to bring in tons of Georgia granite in order to build a spur wall that will protect the lighthouse from further damage,” explained the group’s spokesperson, Debra Divich.
President emeritus Hib Casselberry, 95, said that was the idea of Art Makenian, the society’s past president and preservationist. The men drove out Sept. 17 to assess the damage. While Hurricane Irma left the lighthouse’s Fresnel lens operating as it has for the 17 years since it was renovated, the massive storm washed away fully half of the land on which the structure stands and split the very foundation.
“We see the brick and concrete pillars that the cast-iron pads are on and they are attached to the coral rock down below. … That’s intact,” said Casselberry. “But there is an eight-foot drop between bottom rung of the lighthouse tower and the water.
“Art McKenian had a full-page notice in the [preservation society] newsletter. … What he would like to do is get a spur out with the granite which comes from Georgia … out where it is exposed now, so it doesn’t happen again. Sand will wash away. Granite stone won’t.”
Divich said a special tour was being arranged for city officials from Pompano Beach, Hillsboro Beach and Deerfield Beach.It is hoped that they will help to underwrite the $500,000 needed to make repairs.
“Future tours could be canceled,” Divich said, “if repairs are not made.” The October tour was canceled after the storm, but Divich announced Oct. 3 that the lighthouse would be “open for climbing, as usual,” on Oct. 14, with tour shuttles departing from Sands Dock on the hour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The tour is $25 or free for preservation society members.
For information, call Debra Divich, media coordinator, 786-251-0811.
eroberts@sun-sentinel .com