Point No Point Auction Delayed

At press time the online auction for Maryland's Point No Point Lighthouse

was suspended at $135,000 while the government looked at adding some additional deed restrictions that might have to be added.

NELL Welcomes New Board Members

New members of the Board of Directors of the New England Lighthouse Lovers (NELL) are long time lighthouse preservation supporters Cynde Bosse and Linda Graham. As you may recall, NELL, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, recently reached a milestone when they reached the $100,000 in donations they have raised to support various New England lighthouse restoration projects. We wish the new members of the Board of NELL continued success.

New Caretakers at Wind Point

Susan and Michael Arts are the new caretakers at Wisconsin's Wind Point Lighthouse. They were chosen from applicants from around the country who applied. As well as greeting visitors they will be required to keep the grounds in good order. The recently restored lighthouse 108-foot tall lighthouse is open on certain days throughout the year and reservations to see inside are generally required. FMI call Jeff or Missy Peterson of the Friends of Wind Point Lighthouse at 262-639-3777.

Stevenson Model Sold For Whopping Price

The original scale model used by Robert Stevenson to build the Bell Rock Lighthouse, one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century, and the oldest sea swept lighthouse, has been auctioned off. Every lighthouse around the world that sits in the sea today has been built to Robert Stevenson's design specifications in one way or another from that early beginning. Work began on the lighthouse in 1807, was completed in 1810 and it was lighted in 1811. Stevenson served as an engineer for nearly 50 years to the Northern Lighthouse Board, which overseas all lighthouses in Scotland and Isle of Man and his many innovations earned him numerous awards and medals. He gave the scale model to his daughter. Family descendants auctioned it off. Expected to sell for around $5,000, it sold for a whopping $24,752.00. The replica model was purchased by the Abgus Council and will now go on display at the Signal Tower Museum alongside other Stevenson artifacts that are now on display there.

Yaquina Photo Contest

The Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses in Oregon recently announced the winners of their annual photo contest. Best of the Show was awarded to Rick Hyman of Los Altos, CA. For information on 2008 contest, where entries will be accepted starting July 1 can be obtained by calling 541-574-3129 or by visiting their web site at www.yaquinalights.org

Pottawatomie To Celebrate 150 years

Wisconsin's Pottawatomie Lighthouse located in Rock Island State Park will be celebrating its 150th birthday this coming May 17. Their Sesquicentennial Celebration will take place during the annual Door County Lighthouse Walk weekend.

Wisconsin News Calls Attention To Crumbling History

A news wire story out of Wisconsin has drawn attention to the endangered Pilot Island and Plum Island Rear Range Lighthouses. According to the newspaper report federal bureaucrats have spent the better part of two decades doing nothing to help save these lighthouses and the old Coast Guard station also located there. Now owned by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife they have no immediate plans to save the lighthouses. Instead the islands are off limits to the public, except by special permission. That has not deterred volunteers who want to save the structures, but have no idea where the money will come from. Volunteers biggest immediate concerns are to save a pier to allow safe access to and from the island. In the meantime the historic structures continue to deteriorate.

Lake Havasu's Popular Lighthouses

It's hard to think of a lake in Arizona as being a popular destination for lighthouse lovers, but indeed it is. The area is dotted with finely detailed replicas of some of America's most famous lighthouses. This is thanks in part to the Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club, which continues major efforts to promote their lighthouses as tourist attractions. If you go, be sure to also visit the London Bridge. What's that you say? Well, I guess you're just going to have to visit to see what it's all about. We've done a few stories about their lighthouses over the years and that information is on our web site at www.LighthouseDigest.com. Type in Lake Havasu in the Search Box and you'll be directed to the stories.

New Officers For ALF

The American Lighthouse Foundation has some new officers to fill three vacant positions. Those new officers are Dorothy Black, President; Jeremy D'Entremont, 1st Vice President; and James Streeter, 2nd Vice President. As the out-going president, I want to offer my hardy congratulations and best wishes to the new officers.

Ribbon Cutting At North Point

A ribbon cutting ceremony was recently held at North Point Lighthouse in Milwaukee, WI, as an unveiling of renovations of the historic lighthouse. One of the major accomplishments is that the keeper's house is again connected to the tower as it once was. New exhibits will open at the lighthouse in the spring of this year.

Victorian Christmas at Heceta

This past December marked the 12th Anniversary of the annual Christmas celebration at Heceta Head Lighthouse in Yachats, Oregon. The keeper's house was decorated with Victorian decorations inside and out and various performers entertained guests and Santa himself even stopped by for a visit. The keeper's house at Heceta Head Lighthouse is now run as a B&B. For more information you can call them at 541-547-3416.

Lighthouse At The White House

This year's Christmas theme at the White House was to honor the National Parks. At the east entrance to the White House guests were greeted by a large replica of North Carolina's Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, which was viewed by many Americans on national TV. I also noticed a Christmas bulb on one of the trees that had a beautiful image Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

Beginning on January 15 through April 3, for the winter months, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD will only be open Friday through Monday from 10am to 4pm and closed Tuesday through Thursday. After April 4th the museum will again be open seven days per week. FMI visit their web site at www.cbmm.org.

Dutch Island Relit

After being dark for 28 years the recently restored Dutch Island Lighthouse in Rhode Island was relit on November 17 at 7PM. Congratulations to the dedicated efforts of the volunteers who made this happen and especially to Dr. Peter Randall, the original founder of the Dutch Island Lighthouse Society, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation for his diligence over the years.

Michigan's Women Lighthouse Keepers Honored

An amazing new exhibit at the Michigan Women's Historical Center and Hall of Fame will honor the role played by women lighthouse keepers in the 19th and 20th centuries. The new exhibit will be on display starting January 14 and remain on display until June 27. This is the first exhibit of its kind to ever appear in Michigan. Audio and visual elements will enhance the exhibit, which will include hands-on elements for younger children, a build your own lighthouse station, plus a teacher's activity book as an outreach to school and scout groups. The museum is located at 213 W. Maine Street in Lansing, MI and is open Wednesday through Fridays from noon to 5pm, on Saturdays from noon to 4pm and Sundays from 2pm to 4pm. For more information, visit their website at http://hall.michiganwomenshalloffame.org.

Cape Cod Light Adventures

The Cape Cod Lighthouse, also known as Highland Lighthouse, in North Turo, Massachusetts, Is now offering full moon tours every month. This is an excellent opportunity to watch the sun set over Cape Cod Bay as the moon rises over the Atlantic. Also, the tower requirement for children to climb the tower has now been lowered to 48 inches. For those of you with other interests, information on the 4th Annual Ocean to Bay Road Race will soon be available on their web site at www.CapeCodLight.org.

In 1996 the Cape Cod "Highland" Lighthouse was moved 450 feet back of the edge of eroding cliff.

This story appeared in the Jan/Feb 2008 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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