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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Portland Head Light, ME, photo by Chuck Turk August 7 is National Lighthouse Day, the day on which we honor those majestic towers that were built to protect and guide mariners. Today, those lighthouses are historic symbols of man’s effort to help their fellowman. Many are still active aids to navigation despite modern [...]
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 [...]
Bob and Sandra Shanklin, The Lighthouse People If you like lighthouses, you enjoy looking at them. If you have the opportunity, you visit them in person. However, very few people ever get to visit all of them. But thanks to lighthouse photographers, we can still look at pictures of lighthouses in places we’ll [...]
Sandy Hook Lighthouse, NJ When the American Revolution began in 1775, there were eleven lighthouses on the coasts of the original thirteen colonies. These lighthouses became targets of control for both armies in order to control the shipping lanes. The very first lighthouse in the country while under British control was Boston [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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,” [...]
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 [...]
St. John's Point Lighthouse, Ireland, photo by Storefix, wikimedia commons Just down the road from the first church built by St. Patrick stands St. John’s Point Lighthouse. Set near ancient ruins, the lighthouse is located on the most easterly point of Ireland and marks the entrance to Dundrum Bay, an area notorious [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
McNab's Island Lighthouse on Maugher's Beach, Nova Scotia “No fair! Why do I have to do all the work?” Maybe you’ve heard this complaint before, but you wouldn’t have heard it from lighthouse keepers or their families. Lighthouse keeping wasn’t an easy lifestyle, but for lighthouse families, it was a busy, active [...]
Diamondhead Lighthouse, Hawaii, photo courtesy lighthousefriends.com. Currituck Beach Lighthouse, photo by Rick Anderson Old Mission Point, MI Winter Island Light, Salem, MA Edgartown Lighthouse, Martha's Vineyard, MA "The people living in [...]
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 [...]
Longships Lighthouse, UK Needles, Eddystone, Longships, Bishop Rock – these well-known lighthouses in the UK are a few of the country’s “rock” lighthouses. The name “rock” denotes that the lighthouse is offshore and not on land. In fact, many of these were built on rocks barely large enough for the lighthouses, yet [...]
Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, photo courtesy US Coast Guard Terrible Tilly was not a good place to spend a holiday. Only one of the five lighthouse keepers assigned to Tillamook Rock Lighthouse would win the prime spot in the rotation to spend time with his family on Thanksgiving. The other four would have to [...]
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 [...]