Museum defends stand on lighthouse lens Saturday, April 13, 2013 10:30 am

UPPER THUMB — Huron City Museum officials are speaking publicly
regarding their battle withthe federal government, which has filed a
lawsuit claiming the museum has illegally retained possession of a
third order Fresnel lens built in 1872 for the Pointe aux Barques
Lighthouse.
The federal government claims the U.S. Coast Guard never approved
transferring the lens to Huron City Museums from the Grice House
Museum in Harbor Beach. Court documents state that per the loan
agreement with Harbor Beach, the Coast Guard was required to approve
any transfers, and the lens at all times was to go on permanent
display and protected from weathering and vandalism by an indoor
shelter.
The lawsuit the federal government filed in October claims Huron
CityMuseums is not properly conserving, protecting or securing the
900-pound lens, which the government says is irreplaceable.
Charles Parcells, of HuronCity Museums, said this is not a simple issue.
And to understand it, it's important to know a bit ofhistory, said
Parcells, whois the great-great-grandchild of Langdon Hubbard, who
established himself in Huron County in1852.
The foundation that runs Huron City Museums was started by the
following generation in 1947 to honor the memory of William Lyon
Phelps, who was Parcells's uncle and acollege English teacher atYale
University.
"Our grandmother wanted her four children to bring her grandchildren
to the property for summer vacations, so she gave them the surrounding
property and helped them establish summer homes on the property,"
Charles Parcells said.
Today, most of the parents are deceased, and 17 grandchildren own the
surrounding property.
Charles Parcells and his four siblings now are responsible for the
museum. But growing up, Charles Parcells's father was president of the
charitable, not-for-profit foundation his entire life.
Museum is more
than a display of artifacts
Parcells explained the museum should be more than a display of
antiques. It should stand for something and have guiding principles,
the same as other educationalinstitutions.
"A museum is a place full of things that used to belong to other
people," he said. "Sometimes problems arise from that. The lens is an
example."
Many times, people want items from the museum, claiming something used
to belong to their family, Parcells said. But before the museum hands
any over artifacts, it has to have credible evidence of the other
party's ownership of the item in question.
"And this should apply to the federal government the same as everyone
else," Parcells said.
In regard to the federal government's lawsuit, Parcells feels the
Coast Guard's primary interest appears to be establishing its
ownershipof the lens.
Flashback to 1987
Parcells explained that he remembers in 1987, whenthe lens was given
to the museum from the Harbor Beach Coast Guard. But he was not
involved in thematter and only later learned about it after the lens
was in the museum. He said people affiliated with the museum who would
have first-hand knowledge of the move are deceased, including his
parents and former museum employees.
But, Parcells said, he remembers a former worker, prior to his
death,had told Parcells he went to Harbor Beach to retrieve the lens,
and Coast Guard personnel helped him load the artifact to transport to
Huron City Museums.
"My evidence of how the lens came to the museum does not support the
claim that it came withoutthe knowledge of the Coast Guard," Parcells
said.
Also, Parcells cited a letter from a former Museum director who stated
he helped facilitatethe transfer of the lens toHuron City.
"Most importantly, that letter says he got the lens from the Coast
Guard," Parcells added.
Intimidated by government
Parcells said when he initially was contacted by an attorney
representing the Coast Guard, he told the individual that as far as
museum officials know,they received the lens properly and lawfully. He
suggested that if the museum has any paperwork like a loan agreement,
then the museum would turn it over. That's because the museum has a
high set of values, Parcells added.
"I searched for that and found only the letter from the museum
director about the Coast Guard giving the lens to the museum. The
Coast Guardhas all the hard evidence we have found in museum records,"
he said.
He suggested the attorney gather evidence about what happened — such
as going to the Department of Veterans Affairs out of Repect of The
Lighthouse Friends that in Central California Veterans in Region Parks
are in a Camp out for the United States of America History of to
protect Fathers lost at Sea of such Political Process of simple lense.

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