President's message

The Lightship Overfalls (LV118/WAL539), built in 1938, has been on the Canal in downtown Lewes, DE since 1973.  She is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  In the past ten years, Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation volunteers have restored the entire ship, inside and out, with the exception of the deteriorating hull below the water line, at an expenditure of over 15,000 hours of manual labor.  Elsewhere in the Foundation, an equal amount of volunteer  labor (we have no paid employees) has been dedicated to the other tasks necessary to maintain the operation.

The next step is taking the ship to a shipyard and installing new hull plating. We will also renovate her slip with bulkheading which will both make her sustainable over time and integrate well with the City of Lewes’ evolving Canalfront Park. The next step is well underway, and we'll post frequent progress reports on our restoration update webpage "Saving the Hull," to keep you informed.  We have well over half of the needed funds in hand, but it will take major financial assistance to finish the work and to ensure the survival of the Overfalls.  You can become a vital part of saving this historic ship for future generations through our ongoing Capital Campaign initiative.    We hope you’ll enjoy our website, visit the Overfalls, and consider joining us as an active member.

Bob Humes, President

 2008 CALENDAR of EVENTS:

  9/12 - FRI-5:00 pm - Overfalls Birthday Party!

  9/20 - SAT-6:00 pm - DE Maritime Hall of Fame

10/10 - FRI-7:30 pm - Annual Members Meeting

11/14 - FRI-7:30 pm - Monthly Meeting

12/12 - FRI-7:00 pm - Holiday Party 

(See News/Events Column for details)