Lighthouse Blog Category

Lighting the Way by Land and Sea

Moose Peak Lighthouse (Mistake Island) Photo courtesy T.Bruce Jeffries and lighthousefriends.com. One day in 1905, the MacDonald brothers, both ministers, stood on top of Cadillac Mountain on Mount Desert Island, Maine.  As they scanned the island-laden coastline, Alexander suddenly slapped his brother on the shoulder and exclaimed, “Angus, what a parish this would [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:24-05:00September 22nd, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|2 Comments

Want to Buy a Lighthouse?

Penfield Reef Light, CT, photo courtesy lighthousefriends.com Now’s your chance to buy something you’ve always wanted – a lighthouse! Yes, right now, there are seven different lighthouses up for bid. So how do you buy your own lighthouse? Under the provisions of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, the General Services [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:24-05:00August 27th, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|4 Comments

A Welcome Sound at the Lighthouse

American Shoal Lighthouse, Florida, photo courtesy lighthousefriends.com   Lighthouses were not always the idyllic, romantic locations many have imagined them to be. Although some of us would welcome the peace and quiet of an isolated lighthouse, to many lighthouse keepers the solitude was depressing, boring and monotonous. Even when the keeper had a [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:25-05:00June 24th, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|0 Comments

The Brightest Lighthouse

Victory Lighthouse, Italy   Towering above the city of Trieste, Italy, stands the Faro della Vittoria, the Victory Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built as a monument to celebrate Italian victory and honor the country’s soldiers who died at sea in World War I. One of the world’s tallest lighthouses, the structure stands 223-foot [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:25-05:00June 17th, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|0 Comments

Seals and Lighthouses

Angels Gate Lighthouse, CA, photo courtesy lighthousefriends.com Lighthouse keepers develop a relationship with the sea and learn to appreciate its personality. They also acquire an understanding of the creatures that live within it. Marine animals can provide food for the keepers, but they can also provide company. Along the west coast of the [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:25-05:00May 20th, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|1 Comment

A Lighthouse Mother and Her Castle on the Water

Rondout Creek Lighthouse, NY, courtesy lighthousefriends.com. Hudson River, NY, 1857 When George Murdock, the keeper at Rondout Creek lighthouse, didn’t return with the supplies, his wife Catherine knew something had happened. Her worries were confirmed when officials from the mainland arrived to tell her he had drowned on his way back to the [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:25-05:00May 7th, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|3 Comments

To Have and To Hold On! – Lighthouse Weddings

Mile Rocks Lighthouse, CA, old postcard courtesy Lighthouse Digest. Weddings take place in a variety of places. In addition to traditional church weddings, many couples opt for more picturesque or unique settings. From beaches to gardens to mountaintops, marriages are performed in places significant to the two being wed. Lighthouses have long been [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:25-05:00April 28th, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|2 Comments

Keeping the Faith at the Lighthouse

Cuttyhunk Lighthouse, MA, 1891, photo courtesy USCG   Cuttyhunk Lighthouse, at the western end of Cuttyhunk Island, provided guiding light into both Buzzard’s Bay on one side and Vineyard Sound on the other. The two-mile-long island was home to lighthouse keepers and their families for many years, beginning in 1823. In 1911, Levi [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:25-05:00April 22nd, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|0 Comments

The Lighthouse Master Craftsmen

  Skerryvore Lighthouse, photo by Ian Cowe The Stevenson family of Scotland is renown around the world as a dynasty of lighthouse builders. For five generations, the Stevenson’ engineering skills were employed to build structures that are still impressive, having withstood the onslaught of nature and time. Names like “Skerryvore” and “Bell Rock,” [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:25-05:00April 8th, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|0 Comments

Spring Splendor Arrives at the Lighthouse

Start Point Lighthouse, Devon, UK Start Point is one of the most exposed peninsulas on the English Coast, running sharply almost a mile into the sea. The rugged, windswept headland was not a popular assignment for the families of lighthouse keepers sent to the 150-year-old lighthouse situated at the end. Winters seemed especially [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:26-05:00April 2nd, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|0 Comments

A Symbol of Hope

Blackistone Lighthouse For many people throughout the world and the ages, a lighthouse has come to represent many things. A sailor seeking safe passageway through dangerous waters welcomed the sight of a lighthouse to guide the way. It not only told him where he was, but warned him of  danger. For some, the [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:26-05:00March 25th, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|0 Comments

Lighthouse Kids to the Rescue

  White Island (Isles of Shoals) Lighthouse People on the New Hampshire seacoast knew it was out there. Several miles from shore, on the southern tip of White Island in the Isles of Shoals, the only lighthouse off the coast of New Hampshire, sat sadly alone and decaying. Built in 1859, the White [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:26-05:00March 3rd, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|2 Comments

Lighthouses and Sea Serpents

  Eastern Point Lighthouse, Gloucester, MA, photo courtesy Kraig Anderson Massachusetts’ Gloucester Harbor is known as America’s oldest seaport, supporting fishermen, whalers, traders and even smugglers since 1616. The area is also known for its dangerous currents, ledges, and storms which claimed 779 vessels and 5,305 lives between 1830 and 1910. But another [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:26-05:00February 19th, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|5 Comments

Love Signals from the Lighthouse

The Maidens Lighthouses, Ireland Where did a young person who lived at a lighthouse meet other young people? How did they find someone to date, fall in love with, and marry? At other lighthouses, of course. Due to the remoteness of lighthouses, the children of keepers often met and married the children of [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:26-05:00February 12th, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|4 Comments

The Optimistic Lighthouse Keeper

Start Point Lighthouse, Devon, UK, source Wikipedia Commons, photo by Nilfanion   Gordon knew it was only a matter of time before his occupation and his way of life would be gone. Trinity House, the governing body of lighthouses in the United Kingdom, had detailed to its lighthouse keepers the plans to automate [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:26-05:00January 30th, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|0 Comments

The Lighthouse Cat

Cats have been friends of mariners for centuries. They had an important job on ships – to keep the vessel free of rats and mice that not only ate food supplies, but gnawed through the ships’ ropes.  Cats were also common along waterfronts where they controlled rodents in warehouses and helped clean up the remains [...]

By |2017-05-18T17:07:27-05:00January 22nd, 2016|Lighthouse Blog Category|0 Comments
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