A Present for the Sentinel by Charles Wysocki How did the lighthouse keepers get their Christmas packages delivered? Most were sent by ship because there were often no roads to the lighthouses, or if there were, they might be impassable during part of the year. Our lighthouse keeper in this picture by [...]
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, Maine, Photo by Chuck Turk If Gus only knew... A lighthouse keeper’s job can be a lonely one, especially if it’s on a stag station – one that doesn’t have room for families. Such was the case at Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse at South Portland, Maine. The spark [...]
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 [...]
Boston Light on Little Brewster Island, MA, photo by Chuck Turk 300 is a big number. And it’s worth celebrating, Since this is my 300th post on this blog, it is a special anniversary for me. And fittingly, I get to share it with a lighthouse. Not just any lighthouse, but the first [...]
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse The Outer Banks, a string of islands off the coast of North Carolina, boasts a chain of lighthouses from the northernmost tip to the farthest south. The purpose of these lighthouses is to warn mariners of shifting shoals that are hazardous to ships. In fact, thousands of ships and [...]
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 [...]
Libby Island Lighthouse, Maine Flash followed Keeper Gleason Colbeth everywhere. Keeper at Libby Island Light, Maine, Colbeth said his medium brown Irish setter was so intelligent she could almost talk. And being the devoted pet that she was, Flash never let her master out of her sight. If Colbeth went to the 1823 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Race Rock Lighthouse, NY, photo courtesy lighthousefriends.com Off the eastern end of Long Island Sound, you’ll find Fishers, Little Gull, Great Gull, and Plum – a string of islands. Many ships pass between the islands, but the deepest gap, called “The Race,” is just off the end of Fisher Island near a reef [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Casquets Lighthouse, UK, photo courtesy Trinity House Lighthouse keepers had a 24/7 job, but even they had free time, especially on stations where their families weren't allowed. When the sea was peaceful and the duties were done, what did a light keeper do with his time? Of course many lightkeepers liked to fish, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Cuttyhunk Lighthouse, 1891, photo courtesy US Coast Guard In August, 1944, the family of Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts Lighthouse Keeper Octave Ponsart planned a joint birthday and beach party to celebrate the birthday of Uncle Gene and cousin Connie. Due to sugar rationing, Mrs. Ponsart spent weeks saving enough sugar to make birthday cakes for [...]
Bishop Rock Lighthouse, UK, photo by Ian Cowe Gordon Partridge checked the lighthouse duty schedule and blew out a breath. It was his turn to do his least favorite job at the lighthouse. With three keepers at Bishop’s Rock Lighthouse, each keeper was assigned duties on a rotating basis. As a result, everyone [...]
Burnt Island Lighthouse, ME, photo by Bob Trapani, Jr. “Molly, the Andersons are coming over this afternoon.” “Yay!” Ten-year-old Molly jumped up and down. “I can’t wait to see Tommy!” Mother pointed her wooden spoon at Molly. “Well, you two stay out of trouble, if you can. We get to see their [...]
Two Bush Island Light, Maine, old postcard courtesy lighthousefriends.com March, 1902 “Woof! Woof!” What was that dog yapping about now? Keeper Altiverd Norton at Two Bush Island Lighthouse off the coast of Maine woke to the sound of his dog Smut’s bark. The dog was obviously excited about something. Was it a [...]
Sambro Island Lighthouse, photo by Dennis Jarvis, courtesy Wikimedia Commons From his bedroom window in the small coastal village of Ingonish, Nova Scotia, young Barry MacDonald could see two lighthouses. Barry’s father and grandfather were fishermen, so Barry spent a lot of time around the harbor, often visiting the lighthouses. Sometimes he [...]
Lubec Channel Light, ME, photo courtesy The Lighthouse People When Connie learned that her boyfriend Elson Small was giving up his career with the Merchant Marines to be a lighthouse keeper, she had mixed emotions. She was happy that he would no longer be out at sea, but her idea of marriage had [...]