Backfill: Steeplejack of All Trades

Some days steeplejack Michael Mastrototaro gets tied up at work. Some days he just hangs around. But no matter what he’s up to, there is no rigging job he can’t tackle. Mastrototaro is the proprietor of North Star Rigging of Greenfield, Mass., and he says he can handle anything that has to do with steeples and towers: carpentry, specialty mill work, painting, roofing, lightning protection, and his specialty, gold leafing. Steeplejacking is an ancient trade. Some of the techniques were originally developed to service ship masts of old. In fact, the chair that steeplejacks use is called a “bosun’s chair.” Bosun is short for “Boatswain,” the sailor who takes care of the rigging, ropes, and anchors on a