New Support Structures for Lake Sunapee’s Lighthouses

Entering the summer of 2024, two of Lake Sunapee’s iconic lighthouses were standing on rotting and tilting wood and stone cribs.  After consultation and design with experienced marine engineers, LSPA has chosen to replace the cribs at Herrick Cove and Burkehaven with steel supports driven into the bed of the lake. (Loon Island lighthouse stands on a rock island and is stable.) The new, robust approach is a cost-effective and long lasting (60+ years) answer to the perpetual cycle of expensive crib replacement every 15-20 years. This solution is also preferred by NH Department of Environmental Services, as the lake’s waters can move without obstruction on the lake bottom.

Hansen Marine, a division of Hansen Bridge LLC, is the contractor for the new steel support structures. Hansen started construction at Herrick Cove in fall 2024, and will move to Burkehaven in spring 2025. Read more about the initiation of construction here.

LSPA is financing the new foundations through a campaign reaching out to all who love the lighthouses.  Please become a Lighthouse Keeper by contributing to the Lighthouse Fund.

Read more about this project in our brochure.

Construction Updates

December 2024

With the arrival of winter, construction on Lake Sunapee’s Herrick Cove Lighthouse has been placed on a pause. The barges were removed in early December before ice began to form near the Georges Mills Boat Ramp. The contractor working on the project, Hansen Marine, a division of Hansen Bridge LLC, made great progress constructing a portion of the lighthouse’s new support structurethis fall. Construction will resume at the Herrick Cove Lighthouse in the spring and then the crew will begin work at Burkehaven Lighthouse.

Thank you to our generous donors who have already contributed to the campaign to help save Lake Sunapee’s Lighthouses. Sufficient funds have been raised to complete the building of the new support structures for both Herrick Cove and Burkehaven lighthouses. Additional donations made to the Lighthouse Fund will support the long-term maintenance of all three of the lighthouses on Lake Sunapee, ensuring that these Lake Sunapee icons are cared for now and into the future.