Mount Diablo Beacon Shines Once More

The Mount Diablo beacon is back on top, where it should be.

A large crane hoisted the refurbished beacon back to its rightful place at the top of the summit building on Mount Diablo's highest peak on Tuesday morning.

The beacon was then secured and lit up once again.

The ceremony ended 19 weeks of renovation on the spinning light that has been on the mountain since 1928.

In June, the aging beacon was removed from its perch and taken to Global Village Construction in Concord.

Save Mount Diablo co-ordinated a Beacon Restoration Project and raised $100,000 to refurbish the light.

During the past four months, all 12 panes of glass on the beacon's front window were replaced. In addition, both bearings and its built-in clutch were replaced.

Main electrical control panels were also replaced as was all the old electrical wiring.

The original 1,500-watt, 32-volt incandescent bulb was replaced with a 1,500-watt, 120-volt halogen bulb.

Workers also gave the beacon a fresh coat of silver paint.

The summit building itself was also repaired and repainted.

Save Mount Diablo hosted a ceremony before the liftoff in the summit parking lot.

Save Mount Diablo President Ron Brown dedicated the reinstallation to survivors of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, three of whom were in attendance.

The beacon was turned off on Dec. 7, 1941 after the Japanese attack that brought the United States into World War II.

The light was turned on again on Dec. 7, 1964 to honor those who had served in Pearl Harbor.

It is now lit once a year on Dec. 7 to remember those who were killed in the 1941 attack.

The crane used in Tuesday's ceremony was donated by Shell Oil and Maxim Crane.