Intro music.
Long before it had a name, Cape Canaveral was an important landmark
appearing on navigational charts since the early 1500s.
And long before the point of land was dotted by launch gantries
that send rockets skyward, another tower dominated the landscape.
Now this oldest standing structure -- the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse --
is undergoing a restoration project to restore it to its former glory.
Owned by the U.S. Air Force, the lighthouse refurbishment began in dramatic fashion.
"We're getting ready to remove the lamp room from the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse.
The last time that we believe that this lamp room was removed, or bolted if you will,
was in 1894 whenever it was moved to this position. We're going to send it off
for complete refurbishment and a change of the cupola. The very top of the lighthouse is not the original.
The original now is up at Oak Hill at the contractor's plant and whenever it comes back
after refurbishment the original top will be on the lighthouse."
Normal exposure to the elements and the 2004 hurricane season took their toll
on the structure that has aided mariners since 1868.
Among other effects, the hurricanes caused significant damage to the distinctive "daymark" --
the black-and-white painted horizontal stripes that identify the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse.
"We're going to do a complete paint from the outside. If you notice at the top of the lighthouse now,
you'll see a gallery, hand rails, and walk way. Much of that is going to be replaced.
The paint will be completely removed. All pits will be sealed,
weep holes will be opened and the lighthouse will be repainted."
The current restoration is just the beginning of things to come from a long-term partnership
between the Air Force and the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation.
"What we're hoping is to be able to complete the complex. The lighthouse was formerly surrounded by several buildings,
mainly the keeper's cottage and two assistant keepers' cottages. The foundation is hoping to restore
those to the property so that the public can view what it was like during the turn of the century.
We also hope to be able to set up an educational center so that generations
can see what was happening here at the lighthouse and at Cape Canaveral."
Thanks to these efforts, the historic Cape Canaveral Lighthouse
will continue to shine across the waters of the coastal Atlantic.