He likes the view from 130 feet up, the feel of centuries-old slate and wood and copper in his hands, the solitude, the sun on his back, the thrill of dangling high above the earth. And hey, the pay isn't bad either. As one of just a handful of steeplejacks in the area, MacPherson, of Gorham, never has trouble finding work. We get calls from all over the state. This week, MacPherson's perch is atop the West Congregational Church on North State Street in Concord.
Tiptop is right.
He has repaired the weathervane and shaft and replaced a copper ornament and several pieces of deteriorated slate. Next he'll repaint parts of the steeple, as well as upper portions of the church. This steeple is one of the simpler jobs MacPherson has completed. We usually do it the old-fashioned way. That means climbing up the side of the steeple with ropes and doing the repairs from special chairs attached to the ropes.