What started as a lighthearted joke a few years ago, has evolved into the Summersville Lake Lighthouse, a joke no more. This is a 105-foot-7-inch, 72,000-pound, 10-story, full-beam lighthouse on the shores of the lake, and it is one of the region’s highlight tourist destinations, gaining ground on the New River Gorge Bridge. This is the coast of West Virginia.  The big, metal lighthouse, which started life as the base for one of those huge windmills that dot the countryside, was built by high school students and a legion of community volunteers over five years, cost half a million dollars and brought the community together in a spectacular way.  Tourists, who pay $7 to enter, can climb the metal, student-designed stairs to a viewing ledge that gives a spectacular view of the lake and surrounding mountain region. Steve Keblesh, the lighthouse’s unofficial keeper, launches into a tale about the lighthouse, full of enthusiasm, detail and fascination for a project that could easily not have happened except for sheer providence. A fierce storm broke a windmill base waiting to be erected, making it unusable. A local group wanted it, and the windmill company handed it over rather than absorb the expense of shipping it out to be melted. The 72,000-pound, 100-foot tower section was moved, the lighthouse designed and built — all by the community. “We had hundreds of volunteers,” says Keblesh. “They gave time, products, materials, space, expertise, everything. We could not have done this without them. The high school students came from vocational programs at rival schools in Nicholas and Fayette Counties, but they worked together, cutting and welding, bolting and building. The 122 stairs came in pieces and stair steps were sold to the public to help with financing. This unique learning venue won students five scholarships over the course of the project. The construction took four years and it went up with a beacon from an old airport across the lake as its light. The national lighthouse director was here recently,” says Keblesh, and he was impressed with how accurate everything was. That accuracy was crucial because it’s important to lighthouse enthusiasts, which Keblesh found coming out of the woodwork.”They didn’t want something fake,”ays Keblesh. “They wanted steps to the gallery deck, overlooking water, the proper beacon, a realistic color scheme. We went through many designs before deciding on the classic, iconic look.”  An innovative recycling project, the lighthouse is a pristine sentry for Summersville Lake and those who come to enjoy it on a daily basis.