A historic sealing plant on St. George Island in Alaska before and after NOAA oversaw its restoration in 1998-99. Photo: NOAA.

St. George Sealing Plant Restoration Project

The United States acquired St. George Island, one of the Pribilof Islands, when Alaska was purchased form Russia in 1867. From 1867 to 1910, private companies, under contract to the United States government, ran the harvest of Northern Fur Seals and a pelt processing operation on St. George. Then, in 1910, the federal government became the sole administrator and operator of the St. George fur seal operation. This continued until 1983, when the federal government withdrew its operations from St. George Island.

The sealing plant was used to process sealskins and render remains, as part of the lucrative commercial seal harvest, which peaked from the 1940s through the 1960s. This sealing plant, the last one of its kind still in existence, was designated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. By the late 1990s, the building was disintegrating from the combined attack of salt, water, and frosts and was in danger of collapse and being lost forever.

In 1998, NOAA, working with federal, state, local and tribal partners, began restoration of the structure in order to slow its deterioration and preserve it for future use. Working with the local Native Corporation, NOAA completed structural repairs and restoration of the St. George Sealing Plant building on St. George Island, Alaska.

The St. George community and Tribal members did most of the work. The project was completed in November of 1999. Possessing the heritage of the commercial seal harvest, and as current stewards of the Northern Fur Seal population, NOAA is proud to help preserve this historic resource. Several options are being considered for the future use of the former Sealing Plant, including the development of a museum and interpretive center.