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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 2018)
A8 • Friday, December 14, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazette | CannonBeachGazette.com Building lighthouse an engineering feat ‘Terrible Tilly’ plans dated in 1880 By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette Despite the fame and numerous books writ- ten about her, much is still not known about “Terri- ble Tilly,” the lighthouse perched precariously on a rock offshore of Tillamook Head. For years, Tilly enthusi- asts have debated the ambi- guity of certain details, such as the design specifi cs of the staircases, windows and other features. Even confi r- mation about who designed the lighthouse remained fuzzy. Some of these debates can fi nally be put to rest by what appears to be recent- ly-discovered copies of the original blueprints for the famous Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. The diagrams, printed on parchment paper, are dated April 22, 1880 — a little less than a month before con- struction of the lighthouse began — and signed by George Lewis Gillespie Jr., the man believed to be the head lighthouse engineer. The lighthouse, decommis- sioned in 1957, was called Terrible Tilly for the stormy conditions of its location and has stood vacant for decades. “This is very exciting for those of us who like to nerd out about the lighthouse,” said Elaine Trucke, execu- tive director of the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum. The blueprints were brought to the museum’s attention by Richard Proc- tor, who found the maps tucked away in the rafters of his Warrenton home in 1998 — then held onto them for 20 years. “With my career in water work, I thought they were cool,” he said. Proctor worked in marine construction with Bergerson Construction for more than 30 years. “There was a cer- tain sentiment,” he said. Proctor assumed they were working prints given their tattered condition, but had no sense of their age. Because he knew the pre- vious owner of his home worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Proc- tor thought it was possi- ble they were very old and possibly original, but ulti- mately decided to keep them in storage. He didn’t think about them again until about a month ago, after hearing there was a lecture about the lighthouse coming up by Brian Ratty, a local author who recently published “Til- lamook Rock Lighthouse: History & Tales of Terrible Tilly.” He decided to pull out the maps and show them to Ratty, who he said was immediately intrigued. After confi rming they could be signifi cant, he donated them to the Cannon Beach His- Brenna Visser Elaine Trucke, executive director of the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum, looks at what could be copies of the original blueprints for the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. tory Center and Museum. “It’s been fun to see the lit- tle buzz they’ve created,” Proctor said. “It’s very nice to see that they will be well cared for.” While clearly old, it’s unlikely the maps are the original drawings, as there are outlines around the prints that make them appear like copies. But they could be the maps used at the con- struction site in 1880, with evidence of coffee stains and burn marks from being held up to candlelight. Because very few records were kept about the early days of the lighthouse, the maps are signifi cant because they confi rm questions his- torians have had about the landmark for years. For example, the light- house today has portholes, but the drawings show the original lighthouse had reg- ular windows — possibly blown out by rough win- ter storms. The lighthouse today is made with lime- stone from a recent ren- ovation — the drawings show the original structure was built with granite from a quarry in southeastern Oregon. The most satisfying con- fi rmation, however, was the signature. “It has always been thought to be Gillespie, but other than some references from the Bureau of Light- houses, I’ve never seen a plan with his name on it,” Trucke said. Trucke is now working on getting the proper type of light box to display the maps in the museum, and hopes to scan them and put them online for everyone to see. “This makes history tan- gible for people,” Trucke said. Cannon Beach History Center and Museum Terrible Tilly in a historic photo. Dining on the North Coast Excellence in family dining found from a family that has been serving the North Coast for the past 52 years Great Great Great Homemade Breakfast, lunch and pasta, Clam dinner steaks & Chowder, but that’s not all... menu,too! seafood! Salads! Brenna Visser Recently found blueprints of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse could have been the prints used during construction in 1880. AWARD-WINNING LOCAL JOURNALISM WHEN AND WHERE YOU WANT IT Subscribe today at CannonBeachGazette.com/site/subscribe.html Cannon Beach’s Best Selection of Oregon and Washington Wine! Seaside • 323 Broadway • 738-7234 (Open 7 Days) Cannon Beach • 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily) Astoria • 146 W. Bond • 325-3144 Wishing for happier holidays? 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