>> Click to enlarge << The keeper’s house at Perkins Island before ... Photo by: Geraldine McCue

This past fall, the long-neglected light keeper’s house at Maine’s Perkins Island Lighthouse received an amazing transformation thanks to a generous donation by local area residents Tom and Jaana Sheehan.

>> Click to enlarge << The keeper’s house at Perkins Island Lighthouse ... Photo by: Tom Sheehan

Since the 1960s the light keeper’s house has been owned by the State of Maine, more specifically by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Recreation, who had let the structure fall into a severe state of decay. The lighthouse tower at Perkins Island is still owned by the Coast Guard, but has been cared for since 2000 by the Friends of Perkins Island Lighthouse, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation. At that time the nonprofit group also coordinated the painting of the tower with the restoration of house. Many hurdles had to be overcome to coordinate the project with the government entities, the nonprofit group, the contractors, and the private sector. All are to be congratulated, especially Tom and Jaana Sheehan, whose major financial contribution was the catalyst in saving the keeper’s house for future generations.