Cover Letter Move It Or Lose It Proposal Lighthouse Digest Magazine... 9 Middle Bay Lighthouse Added to Doomsday List

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2 Table of Contents Cover Letter... 3 Move It Or Lose It Proposal. 4 8 Lighthouse Digest Magazine... 9 Middle Bay Lighthouse Added to Doomsday List The Case for Moving Middle Bay Lighthouse 9 12 Renderings: Middle Bay Lighthouse at the USS Alabama Battleship Park October Proposal Update: Middle Bay Lighthouse has no future in Middle Bay except to deteriorate, cost money, and be destroyed. It must be brought ashore to a new life for protection and security, and especially for the people of the State of Alabama.

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4 The Alabam ma Historical Commission and the Alabama Lighth house Association The State of Alabama has a rich maritime history in which lighthouses have played an important role and beloved as part of our history. While many lighthouses have come and gone in Alabama, we now have three lighthouses: Middle Bay Lighthouse, Sand Island Lighthouse, and Mobile Pointt Light (the first two are on the doomsday list). The Alabama Historical Commission has fallen farr short of other state historic preservation organizations in the recognition of these historic landmarks and what they have meant to the Alabama maritime community. Sand Island Lighthouse This historic lighthouse lies miles south of Dauphin Island at the entrance of Mobile Bay. While no attempt is made to detail the history of the lighthouse, the first lighthouse was built in 1838 for under $10,000. In 1858, the second lighthouse was built on the same location and during the Civil War, was blown up and replaced by a temporary light. The 132 foot lighthouse we have today was completed in It was the last classic brickk lighthouse completed for a United States port on the Gulf of Mexico. It is impossible to overstate what this lighthouse has meant to the mariners, sailors, and fishermen over the years. Millions have passed it and millions have been guided home by it. It has been a part of the lives of untold numbers of people from Alabama and worldwide. The lighthouse was abandoned Sand Island Lighthouse in In late 1998, the Department of the Interior approached the Middle Bay Lighthouse Centennial Commission, soon to become the Alabama Lighthouse Association, about transferring the lighthouse to an Alabama organization. The Commission consulted immediately with the Alabama Historical Commission and took the director and several staff out to the lighthouse. Several trips weree made, guided by members of the Friends of Sand Island Light and the Middle Bay Centennial Commission. To make a long story short, after four years of negotiation, the Alabama Historical Commission refused to take ownership of the lighthouse. In an amazing situation, supporters and Friends of Sand Island Lighthouse were able to get the Town of Dauphin Island to step up and take ownership of the lighthouse. The town and the newly formed Alabama Lighthouse Association entered into a cooperative agreement for restorationn and preservation of the lighthouse. Sand Island Lighthouse needs a new roof

5 Since then, more than a $1,,000,000 worth of work has been done on the stabilization and restorationn of the lighthouse and several million dollars spent in barrier island workk using the lighthouse base as an anchor. More work is planned. The Alabama Historical Commission has never played a role in the restoration, preservation, and maintenance or life of Sand Island Lighthouse. Mobile Point Lighthouse Mobile Point Lighthouse, sometimes known as Fort Morgan Lighthouse, was fabricated in Washington, D.C. in 1872 and shipped to Ft. Morgan in Alabama for assembly. Mobile Point is a critical waypoint for navigation in the Mobile Ship channel and the light has been an important navigational aid. This lighthouse was actually the third lighthouse at this site the others were destroyed. During its sporadic times in operation, this light has been very important too mariners and fishermen and although not a long range light, its revolving beam and aero beacon were useful to airmen as well. In 1966, this light was replaced by a taller light whichh was essentially abandoned and eventually collapsed. It was removed by a Pensacola Standing proud and tall at Ft. demolition company and placed in a salvage yard. In 1977, it was rescued Morgan before it was removed by a Mobile citizen, purchased by the Board of the Mobile Museum and transported back to Ft. Morgan. It was presented to Mr. Warner Floyd, Director of the Alabama Historical Commission who assured the prompt restoration and reinstallation to be made a part of the Museum at Ft. Morgan. Amazingly, the light was not restored but allowed to lie on its side for the next 12 years. Finally, in 1989 it was removed, repainted, andd installed in 1991 to become an important part of the museumm memorabilia. In 2003, it was removed again and now lies in storage in the Robinson Iron Yard in Alexander City. Although the Coast Guard maintains a marker there, is no navigational aid at the site. In 2011, in recognition of the dim future of this facility in the hands of the Alabama Historical Commission, the Alabama Lighthouse Association proposed to purchase or lease the lighthouse, reconstruct, restore, reinstall, and reactivate the lighthouse as well as set up a permanent maintenance program to prevent history repeating itself. The project would be fully fundedd by the Alabama Lighthouse Association. The light would be located on the original 1821 Ft. Morgan site, have the cooperation of the United States Coast Guard, and serve as a host for modern technology with the "Techno deck" concept and solar power technology. The historic Mobile Point Lighthouse would step forward to a new life in a modem technological world. In the two years since the proposal was made, the Alabama Historical Commission has been unable to rise to this proposal and the lighthouse still rots at the Robinson Iron Works. Mobile Point Lighthouse in storage at Robinson Iron Works

6 Mobile Bay Lighthouse Mobile Middle Bay Lighthouse is also on the National Register of Historic Places and is a unique screw pile lighthouse constructed of wood on a steel frame and foundation. It was placed in service on December 1, There are many charming stories about this lighthouse in the maritime life of South Alabama. This light has seen the passage of millions of people on commercial vessels, barge twos, fishing vessels, war ships, cruise ships, and private yachts. It has been the emblem waypoint for regattas and bay navigation for 128 years. The lighthouse was taken out of service, decommissioned and marked for demolition by the US Coast Guard in It was rescued by a group of concerned citizens and renovated by Work begins on Middle Bay Lighthouse in 2009 volunteers and Navy Seabees. In 1974, the National Park Service placed Middle Bay Lighthouse on the National Register of Historic Places. Negotiation with the Alabama Historical Commission went nowhere until Under heavy pressure from Governor George Wallace, the commission accepted ownership from the National Park Service. The Historical Commission ignored the lighthouse and in 1984, because of the deteriorating condition of the lighthouse and its pending centennial, a group of citizens undertook to restoree it for its 100th birthday. Under Captain Hal Pierce, they formed the Middle Bay Lighthouse Centennial Commission, which later evolved into the Alabama Lighthouse Association. On its birthday, in beautiful shape, the lighthouse celebrated its 100th birthday amid a fleet of boats and yachts and to national publicity. That celebration didd not inspire the Alabama Historical Commission to spend any money or take any action to maintain the lighthouse. Thee Centennial Commission continued to maintain the lighthouse and play a leadership role with Alabama Lighthouses. They were nominated for the National Thousand Points of Light program and Pierce went to speak at the White House. In 2000, thee Alabama Lighthouse Association was formed as a 501 C 3 non profit public charity with the singular mission of restoring and preserving all Alabama lighthouses. Middle Bay Lighthouse after renovations in 2010 During the following years, the Commission did obtain an Ice Tea Grant for work on the lighthouse. Much good work was done but the contractor failed to finish the project. He built a new house on Dauphin Island withh the money and the sub contractors had to sue the bonding company to get paid. The Commission did nothing. A quick seriess of hurricanes, mainly Ivan and Katrina changed thee whole volunteer scene. Volunteers were no longer safe or practical. Donated and volunteer equipment dropped off or became too expensive. A difficult situation was made worse by the oil spill which closed the bays and sounds for most of a year. Maintenance work was beyond the means of the Association and the structure, building, and railings began to deteriorate. In recognitionn of this serious situation, the Association began to explore ways to either fund a far more expensive maintenance program or other alternatives. The obvious answer was provided by the experience of other lighthouses of the same type, most of which had been moved ashore with remarkable financial benefits

7 and other new vistas like visitors and a significant ease of maintenance activities. The overwhelming answer was to move the lighthouse. A year of research went into the proposal. A perfect destination was found. The resources, the total support of the maritime community, which has a strong proprietary approach to lighthouses, and the support of the historical community weree all there. Access to the lighthouse and all information were provided by the Alabama Lighthouse Association and the United States Coast Guard to the staff of the Alabama Historical Commission, including favorable engineering reports and the favorable opinion by the Coast Guard, who all supported the conclusion that the lighthouse could no longer be maintained in place. In an absolutely amazing decision, the Commission ignored the elements and advantages of the proposal and decided not to move the lighthouse. Middle Bay Lighthouse suffered In response to the lighthouse condition, the Alabama Historical $75,000 worth of damage above and Commission funded a program to repair the lighthouse. Althoughh much below the water by a shrimp trawler good work was done, the project was unfinished. The safety railings have hitting the house. This amount of become dangerous and the interior has not been painted since the Ice damage could drop Middle Bay into Tea project. Last year, Hurricane Isaac damaged the roof and blew in a Mobile Bay forever. window casing. It took seven months for those repairs. In March,, straight line winds damaged the roof again and in May of this year, a shrimp trawler collision did $75,000 damage to the structure. None of these damaging things would have happened if the lighthouse was ashore. Work on the lighthouse has been determined to cost double or more than it would cost ashore. Volunteers, donations, and easy accesss are not available while on the water. Now we are on the edge of another hurricane season. The lighthouse has been damaged and weakened by recent events. The Alabama Lighthouse Association remains firm in its plan to move Middle Bay Lighthouse ashore too safety, security, and to the people of Alabama. A brochure, " Middle Bay Lighthouse, Move it or Lose it" is available and covers the case for moving the lighthouse. Move It or Lose It Middle Bay Lighthouse One of Alabama's most treasured National landmarks is in serious jeopardy. The Alabama Lighthouse Association and those who have been maintaining it have lost their way in a sea of problems and challenges. The stark possibility is that the Middle Bay Lighthouse may not survive the next hurricane both the Florida Lighthouse Association and the Mississippi Lighthouse Association can tell you about the shock and agony of a lighthouse that goes down. Middle Bay Lighthouse has been partt of the maritime scene in Alabama for 124 years. The local community saved the lighthouse from demolitionn by the United States Coast Guard in The lighthouse has been restored and maintained by volunteers and donations. Ownership was assumed by the Alabama Historical Commission. The lighthouse was entered on the National Register of Historic Places in In preparation for its 100 th birthday, the lighthouse was fully renovated by volunteers working with the Mobile Middle Bay Lighthouse Centennial Commission. This effort gained national recognition both in the maritime and historic preservation communities. For years after the celebration, the lighthouse was maintained by frequent work parties totaling thousands of workers carried out by a local yacht, "Flagship."

8 In recent years, the lighthouse has been struck by three hard hurricanes. Volunteers can no longer work on the light. The cost of maintaining the light has risen astronomically. Actually, considering the cost of equipment including generators, compressors, cranes, welders, gas, barges, tugs, maritime insurance, and wages, the cost of repair on the water is four times what they are ashore. You can't drive a truck up and drop off supplies. In the feeling of the Maritime community, the repairr and maintenance of Mobile Middle Bay Lighthouse on site is not only unfeasible, it may be impossible. Condition reports on the lighthouse and underwaterr structure are alarming. In the face of the danger to the lighthouse, the Alabama Lighthouse Association, after years of holding out for better times, has recommended bringing Middle Bay Lighthouse ashore. The proposal is very comprehensive and willl become a historic document in the history of the lighthouse. Seven Foot Knoll Light was the first built in Maryland in The lighthouse fell victim to severe corrosion and vandalism. In 1987 ownership of the lighthouse was transferred to thee city of Baltimore. It was moved by barge, in 1988, to Pier 5 at Inner Harbor waterfront where it stands today. The proposal to bring the lighthouse ashore was not lightly undertaken. Other lighthouses that have had the same problem and been moved were studied. Middle Bay is now the only remaining screw pile lighthouse still at sea and not available from land. Other lighthouses have been successful and the great advantages of bringing the lighthouse in became obvious. Eleven possible destinationn sites were investigated, inspected and studied all around Mobile Bay. The site that rose head and shoulders above the others, from the standpoint of security, accessibility, availability to citizens, sea side location, and other factors, was Battleship Park at the upper end of Mobile Bay. In past history, with its location' the lighthouse was not available too most citizens. Eighty five percent of people, even in South Constructed in 1880, Hooper Straight Alabama, had never seen it. With the new location, it would be Lighthouse was slated for destruction in immediately available to thousands of people. It was acquired and moved by the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. There are those who question moving this national Landmark, in Michaels, MD. The move required the spite of the fact that it has been successfully done in other places, lighthouse being cut from its original pilings and cut in half beforee being transported up this proposal has waited until it is a last resort. the Bay to its new site. The move has a very bright side. Located in Battleship Park, whichh already has hundreds of thousands of visitors, the lighthouse would become an immediatee attraction, Volunteers and donations would come back. Grant funds based on visitors would come back. Estimated cost to give Mobile Middle Bay Lighthouse a new life and make it available for the first time to hundreds of thousands of people in Alabama and other citizens iss $1,700,000.. Not a great amount in today's world. This would be cut down by tens of thousandss of dollars with volunteer work and services. Moving and restoring the lighthouse would be a labor of love for thousands who have worked on it before and thousands who are waiting in the wings, In its third life in Alabama, Middle Bay Lighthouse will bring a new dimension to our maritime and historic heritage.

9 Mobile Middle Bay Lighthouse Added to Doomsday List Lighthouse Digest has added Alabama s Mobile Middle Bay Lighthouse to the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List of Endangered Lighthouses. On a recent visit to the lighthouse it was discovered that some of the steel support rods, which hold the structure up, have broken. This severely compromises the structure. It was also discovered that many hand railings were broken and shingles had been blown off the lighthouse. The Alabama Lighthouse Association had wanted to move the lighthouse to land and have it installed at Battleship Park. However, the Alabama Historical Commission rejected the idea and wanted the lighthouse restored wheree it stands, which was then done. The Historical Commission had also promised to give $30,000 a year for care and maintenance of the lighthouse, which it did not. It is now believed that one good storm or a possible hurricane could easily topple the headless lighthouse. If the lighthouse had been moved to shore, it could already have become a popular tourist attraction. Now, no one can visit it, and it could soon be lost forever. We believe this is another example of bureaucracy gone amok. The Case for Moving Middle Bay Lighthouse Thiss story appeared in the July/August 2013 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more. Mobile Middle Bay Lighthouse, activated on December 1,, 1885, has now been on site for 129 years weathering untold storms and challenges. The lighthousee has just been added to the national doomsday list of endangered lighthouses. The lighthouse was added to the national register of historic places in 1974 and governor George Wallace led the Alabama historical commission to take ownership in 1977 From 39 years from the time the coast guard proposed demolition in 1971 the lighthouse was maintained by volunteers from the centennial commission and then from the Alabama lighthouse association. Thousands of Alabama citizens have been involved in the preservation and maintenance of that lighthouse and although remote in location, it is a much beloved local attraction. No taxpayer money was involved during these years. In all these years every bit of preservation work on the lighthouse hass been by association members except once, when although much good work was done, the contractor failed to finish the job, built a new house on dauphin island with the money and the subcontractors had to sue the bonding company to get paid. The Alabama historic commission did nothing.

10 With hurricane Katrina, the availability of boats and equipment and questions of safety put an end to the maintenance at sea and the lighthouse association proposed bringing the lighthouse ashore. Almost every other lighthouse of the middle bay design in the United States has been brought ashore and situated at parks and museums. The immediate popularity and high visitation rates at these sites as well as accessibility has made maintenance work easy and almost none require taxpayer support. Eleven different possible sites were thoroughly examined by the association and municipal officials. Far and away the best site was at lighthouse point on Mobile Bay on Pinto Island, South of the USS Alabama Battleship Park. This site provides easy access, security, infrastructure, room and allows maximum preservation of the image. This site has already been prepared by a grant from the Propeller Club of Mobile. As another dimension to this location, the proposal has been made to place a dock at lighthouse point, to allow easy water access to the lighthouse and battleship Park. The City and Maritime Museum are very interested in this because of the City s commitment to Berth Ferry Boats at the city landing. The Lighthouse and Battleship Park would be a natural destination. Shortly after the original proposal to move the lighthouse, former Governor Bob Riley flew over the proposed site at Battleship Park and was very approving. The welcoming attitude of the Battleship Commission and assurance of support is important along with the 300,000 visitors right next door. The visitation estimate to the lighthouse in the first full year is 200,000. Current visitation is zero. Hearings were held by the owner and the Alabama Historical Commission and amazingly, the decision was made to keep the lighthouse in place. That decision made the Historical Commission responsible for maintaining the lighthouse. The commission is just now completing a magnificent restoration project on the lighthouse at a rough cost of $270,000. The engineers estimate that about 48% of the project cost was weather delays, transport and transshipping of equipment, boats, supplies and workers. If the lighthouse was situated at Lighthouse Point, the same result would have been achieved in one third of the time and for about $135,000. The taxpayers took a stunning blow! In a discussion with a senior staff person at the Alabama Historical Commission, the comment was made Well, if it falls in the water, it will become archeology. In a discussion with a Coast Guard Aids to Navigation person, the statement was made If it falls in the water, we will have to close the ship channel and the lighthouse will be dragged ashore as debris. It seems to make more sense to take the Lighthouse ashore as a national landmark and give it new life. Many early opponents of the move have changed their minds. One is a 27 year retired engineer from International Paper who was also Commodore of the Buccaneer Yacht Club 30 years ago and initiated the Middle Bay Lighthouse Regatta, now one of the Buccaneers biggest races.

11 We just got a report from a State Inspector who recently inspected the lighthouse. His statement was that the lighthouse must be moved. The Mobile Press Register reported who covers outdoor sports has taken interest. He was originally opposed to moving it until he inspected the lighthouse and now advocates for moving it ashore. His opinion will be seen in the newspaper. Hurricane Katrina, the BP Oil Spill and subsequent storm damage as outlined in the Move it or Lose it document have taken away the volunteer maintenance operation, along with the donated material and supplies. Repair work now just costs money. For years, the only cost of the Lighthouse work was the fried chicken served for lunch. The steel safety railings are jagged and dangerous and have always been a problem. Association workers kept them coated with anti rust paint for years. In the Ice Tea Project in 2002, the cost of renovation was $21,000. The work was not done. Later, after the oil spill, renovation costs rose to $35,000. Last month, we got a bid from a well known steel company saying the rails were beyond repair and had to be totally replaced for $102,000 (due to the at sea location). There is no plan for this project. The Lighthouse has been damaged three times in the last year. Hurricane Issac blew in a window causing and damaged the rood. It took seven months to fix. Another wind storm later did more damage to the roof it had not been repaired. The lighthouse was damaged by a shrimp trawler still not repaired. Two of these three incidents would not have happened if the lighthouse was ashore and the other could have been repaired within a week. The success of the other Gulf Coast Lighthouses cannot be ignored. Some have rebuilt, some have moved. All are remarkably successful. Pensacola Lighthouse, 35 miles off the freeway at the naval station, had 107,000 visitors last year and took in nearly $750,000 in revenue. Lighthouse visitors in the Gulf Coast number in the hundreds of thousands and income in the millions. In Alabama, our three lighthouses, two of which are National Landmarks, had zero visitors and took in zero dollars. Alabama Lighthouses are a well kept secret. Every year, 200,000 people do not see Middle Bay Lighthouse. 200,000 people do not contribute to the repair and maintenance. In its current location, every repair costs double. Any decision to delay the move ashore, whether part of wasting more money or political pressure, simply endangers the lighthouse. The fact is that the life of Middle Bay Lighthouse on the site is at an end. Access to Middle Bay Lighthouse is currently by platform constructed next to the lighthouse. Should the Coast Guard discontinue maintenance of that platform, there will be no access to the Lighthouse at all. The need to move Middle Bay Lighthouse remains urgent. The fortunate lack of big storms recently does not change things. Time goes on and the structure weakens. The Lighthouse remains in jeopardy. We are losing tourists, money and endangering this great National Landmark. The Lighthouse Association remains firm on its intent to bring the lighthouse ashore where we can anchor it, cable it down, maintain it, make it safe and show it to the world.

12 We got a discouraging condition report from the Middle Bay Lighthouse chairman. There is much painting to be done, the roof damage is not fixed, the safety rail is ragged and about to fall off. He has been working on Middle Bay Lighthouse for the past 30 years and was a major force in the renovation for its 100 th birthday. To quote the United States Coast Guard Sector Commander recently after an inspection of the Lighthouse It would sure be good to have that lighthouse ashore. The Lighthouse Association now enjoys the support by resolution of several agencies including Baldwin and Mobile County Commissions, The Battleship Commission, the Town of Dauphin Island, the History Museum of Mobile, the society of American Military Engineers, (corps) and others. There is an immediate plan to convene a task force of engineers, marine construction firms, coast guard, corps of engineers and others with a two topic conference. First will be the design and construction of a monument to replace the lighthouse on site. This facility would be a state of the art with technology such as solar power, LED Lighting, Cameras and Cyber. The second agenda would be the proposed construction of a dock at the Battleship Park destination of the Lighthouse to give water access to the park and connect by water to the Maritime Museum. The city has been interested in ferry service from the City Landing for several years. These are very interesting topics to many people. We have communicated the dock plan and water connection and have gotten a great interest. The connection could be the basis for tour boat activity in the area and particularly between the Maritime Museum and Battleship Park. Right now, all we have in the most expensive fishing hole in the world!

13 Proposed site for Middle Bay Lighthouse in Battleship Park. The proposed site would allow water access to boaters and potentially connect Battleship Park to the Maritime Museum.

14 Current visitation and revenue of the lighthouse is zero. Alabama is missing over 200,000 visitors and potentially millions in revenue each year.

15 Won't you join us? Please visit: Help us spread the word and save a part of our history! Prepared by Hal Pierce Alabama Lighthouse Association

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