Write a commentA new library exhibit featuring the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse will be in place until Aug. 5.
The public is invited to a reception from 6-7 p.m., Monday, July 22, to meet the current keeper, Ted Panayotoff, and enjoy some refreshments. Panayotoff has extensively researched the West Pierhead
Lighthouse and will be available to answer any questions.
The city of Oswego was awarded the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse by the U.S. Coast Guard in 2009. The city is now obligated, as specified in the deed, to restore and preserve this unique National
Historic Place. The city is to develop, in partnership with the H. Lee White Marine Museum, programs for public education and historic interpretation and public access to the lighthouse.
The Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse is the fourth lighthouse serving the mariner entering Oswego Harbor and sailing along Lake Ontario. Its rich history continues the traditions of the earlier lighthouses and the lighthouse keepers that served at them.
The library exhibit serves as a brief introduction to those predecessor lighthouses and outlines the history of the present lighthouse from the beginning of the port expansion in 1931, through its construction, to the start of its operation in 1934.
Operation of the lighthouse under the U.S. Lighthouse Service until 1939 and subsequent operation under the U.S. Coast Guard until its acquisition by the city of Oswego is covered. Today, it is still an
active aid to navigation maintained by the Coast Guard, although the structure is owned by the city of Oswego.
The exhibit introduces lighthouse restoration, what is it and why it is necessary and illustrates the restoration accomplishments to date at the lighthouse. Community involvement, a key element to a
successful lighthouse restoration, is introduced and participation from the city in the form of individuals, organizations and businesses is solicited.
Future restoration projects in the very near term are outlined as are the more extensive future ones specifically, the exterior restoration project.The exhibit concludes with an illustration of the final vision of the lighthouse as an integral part of Oswego's vibrant historic waterfront and a première cultural attraction for the city of Oswego.
