Little River Lighthouse, photo courtesy Lighthouse Digest
Many years ago, a little boy sat on a pier with his bamboo pole and fished in the water next to the Holland Harbor Lighthouse, known as “Big Red.” Little did he know then that his relationship with lighthouses would become a full-fledged passion decades later when he met Ken Black, a retired Coast Guardsman, who founded what became the Maine Lighthouse Museum.
Timothy Harrison
Timothy Harrison has poured his heart into lighthouses. In 1992, he and his wife Kathleen Finnegan founded Lighthouse Digest magazine, dedicated to preserving lighthouse history. The publication and its online website, LighthouseDigest.com, provide a wealth of information about lighthouses past and present and the keepers who maintained them. His “Doomsday List” of endangered lighthouses in each issue has alerted the public to the possible loss of these historic structures and helped save many of them.
Tim co-founded the New England Lighthouse Foundation which later became the American Lighthouse Foundation, and has traveled all over North America speaking on lighthouse preservation. In addition, he has authored or co-authored several lighthouse books.
Tim says it’s hard to have a favorite lighthouse, but his top choices are the Little River Lighthouse, whose remote downeast beauty and interesting history prompted him to help save it. In addition to working on its transfer of ownership to the nonprofit Friends of Little River Lighthouse, Tim spent years of physical labor restoring the abandoned light station.
Another favorite of Tim’s is Pemaquid Point Lighthouse because of its beautiful location, and Holland Harbor, where his connection to lighthouses began.
Holland Harbor Light, Creative Commons, photo by Rodney Campbell
Tim has received many awards for his efforts, but his most memorable moment was at the Grand Opening of the Museum of Lighthouse History in 2005 when Rear Admiral David Pekoske, commander of the First Coast Guard District, presented him with the United States Coast Guard’s Meritorious Public Service Award and Medal.
His biggest concerns now are saving the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland, Maine, and stopping what he calls “fragmentation in the lighthouse community.” He also hopes that more people than ever will attend the 20th Annual Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival in Alpena, Michigan, this year.
Tim would like to see National Lighthouse Day become official and see the Post Office issue postage stamps honoring the US Lighthouse Service and some of the more notable keepers.
My primary mission for the past 25 years has been to locate, save and document the memories and stories of the people who once lived at lighthouses, so that they can be saved for future generations.
Thank you for pursuing your mission, Tim, and for all the lighthouses you’ve saved.
“Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past.” Deut. 32:7
Great story about Tim Harrison, a true lighthouse lover. Through his magazine Lighthouse Digest, Tim has probably done more to support the preservation and restoration of lighthouses than anyone else. He keeps all lighthouse aficionados abreast of the latest news of lighthouses around the world. If you want to learn more about the history of lighthouses, subscribe to the Lighthouse Digest. Thank you for highlighting Tim in your blog…
Thanks, Lou. And there is a link to Lighthouse Digest on my blog too.
I’ve known and worked with Tim for many years. His devotion to lighthouses is incredible! Everyone in the lighthouse community loves his publication, “Lighthouse Digest.”
Elinor DeWire
U.S. Lighthouse Society, Board of Directors
No one I know deserves this tribute more than Tim. He’s been a personal inspiration to us in our love of lighthouses, and he’s done as much or more than anyone else I know to create awareness of our lighthouses and their importance in the history of our nation. Thanks.