| The Lighthouse 1960 to Present |
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The lighthouse was de-activated in 1960, declared excess property by the Coast Guard and turned over to the General Services Administration; and in 1965 Fruitland Township proposed to purchase the property for use as a museum and public park. The property was appraised at $12,500 and the township was required to pay one-half which was provided, at no cost to the township, by gifts from the local residents. The purchase was finalized in 1966.The property was cleaned up and a parking lot created for a small park. In 1969, the township began looking for a curator who could create a museum inside the lighthouse dwelling and find artifacts for display. R. C. (Pete) Caesar was chosen as the first curator in 1970, and began collecting artifacts. In very late summer, 1970 the museum opened for the first time to the public. Over the years there have been several other museum curators at the White River Light Station Museum, including Richard and Vicki Gebhart (1975-79), John and Ruth Klunder (1980-82) and the current curator Karen McDonnell who has been in the position since 1983. Excerpted with permission of the author from: All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form .or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or used in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
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