Peninsula Township Clerk Becky Chown, left, and Supervisor Rob Manigold, right, accept a check from Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society member Chris Rieser at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Peninsula Township Clerk Becky Chown, left, and Supervisor Rob Manigold, right, accept a check from Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society member Chris Rieser at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
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Earlier this week, Peninsula Township received a check from the Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society for the purchase and installation of historically accurate shutters (an upside-down cross design) for Mission Point Lighthouse.

A small group of Old Mission Peninsula residents gathered at the lighthouse for the presentation of the check, a short talk by Historical Society member Laura Johnson, and a tour of recent upgrades to the lighthouse. Covid-19 protocols, including masks and social distancing, were in place.

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The funds totaling $10,898.96, which covered part of the cost of the shutters, were transfered to the Historical Society from the now-dissolved Friends of Mission Point Lighthouse, and were earmarked specifically for the shutters. Big thanks to Friends’ members Anne Griffiths and Ellen Kerr, who got the ball rolling on this project some four years ago.

Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society members Chris Reiser, left, and Laura Johnson, center, with Lighthouse Manager Ginger Schultz at Mission Point Lighthouse Event | Jane Boursaw Photo
Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society members Chris Rieser, left, and Laura Johnson, center, with Lighthouse Manager Ginger Schultz at Mission Point Lighthouse Event | Jane Boursaw Photo
New shutters installed at Mission Point Lighthouse after 90 years | Jane Boursaw Photo
New shutters installed at Mission Point Lighthouse after 90 years | Jane Boursaw Photo

Historical Society president John Scarbrough says that the historical research, designing the shutters, getting state approval, having the shutters custom-built, and working with the contractor for installation was done jointly by Ginger Shultz, Historical Society members Laura Johnson, Chris Rieser, and John Scarbrough, as well as Peninsula Township staff Rob Manigold, Marge Achorn, Becky Chown and others.

The shutters have been missing from the lighthouse for some 90 years, and are just part of the restorations happening this year to celebrate its 150th birthday on Sept. 10, 2020. The historic light was first lit on Sept. 10, 1870.

Vintage photo of Mission Point Lighthouse on the Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo (of a photo)
Vintage photo of Mission Point Lighthouse on the Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo (of a photo)
Vintage photo of Mission Point Lighthouse on the Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo (of a photo)
Vintage photo of Mission Point Lighthouse on the Old Mission Peninsula (my cousin Phyllis Cooley and I are trying to determine if the young girl in the front might be our grandmother, Stella Johnson, and her father, John Noble Smith) | Jane Boursaw Photo (of a photo)

Other recent upgrades to the lighthouse include renovations to the kitchen and keeper’s quarters, new paint, informational signs designed by Historical Society member Karen Rieser on the lighthouse grounds, and more. Check out some photos from this week’s event below.

Volunteers at the snack table at Mission Point Lighthouse open house | Jane Boursaw Photo
Volunteers at the snack table at Mission Point Lighthouse open house | Jane Boursaw Photo
Check received from the Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society for Mission Point Lighthouse shutters | Jane Boursaw Photo
Check received from the Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society for Mission Point Lighthouse shutters | Jane Boursaw Photo
Renovated Kitchen with new cupboards at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Renovated Kitchen with new cupboards at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Renovated Kitchen with new cupboards at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Renovated Kitchen with new cupboards at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Chris Reiser works on the kitchen hooks at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Chris Rieser works on the kitchen hooks at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Dining Room at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Dining Room at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Living Room at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Living Room at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Fireplace at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Fireplace at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Lighthouse Keeper's Quarters at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Lighthouse Keeper’s Quarters at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
New paint on the stairs leading to the light at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
New paint on the stairs leading to the light tower (currently closed) at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Lighthouse Keeper in the Gift Shop at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Lighthouse Keeper in the Gift Shop at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Lighthouse Keeper's Office at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Lighthouse Keeper’s Office at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Straight chock from the Metropolis shipwreck near Mission Point Lighthouse, donated by Rob Manigold; a chock is often used in the stern to feed lines to the cleat | Jane Boursaw Photo
Straight chock from the Metropolis shipwreck near Mission Point Lighthouse, donated by Rob Manigold; a chock is often used in the stern to feed lines to the cleat | Jane Boursaw Photo
Copy of a page from Lighthouse Keeper John Lane's log at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo
Copy of a page from Lighthouse Keeper John Lane’s log at Mission Point Lighthouse | Jane Boursaw Photo

A NOTE FROM JANE: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper. Because the Gazette is mainly reader-supported, I hope you'll consider tossing a few bucks my way if I mention your event, your business, your organization or your news item, or if you simply love reading about what's happening on the OMP. Check out the donation page here. Thank you so much for your support. -jb

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