News & Notes from Everywhere

Beatrice M. Wilbur of Bucksport, Maine has passed away at the age of 80. She spent her early years on Maine's Petit Manan Lighthouse, where her father, Capt. Earl Mitchell was keeper.

About 50 people gathered for a sunrise breakfast at Maine's Pemaquid Point Lighthouse for the 10th annual remembrance of victims of Hiroshima and to reaffirm their commitment to prevent a repetition of such an event.

The Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society has petitioned the United States Postal Service to issue a set of commemorative stamps honoring Chesapeake Bay lighthouses. The petition was endorsed by Senators Warner and Robb of Virginia and Maryland's Governor Glendening.

Speaking of the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society, if you are interested in joining this fine group you can write to them at P.O. Box 1270, Annandale, VA 22003-1270. The group has cruises, regular meetings and publishes a quarterly newsletter. Individual membership is $10; Family membership is $15, and seniors and students membership is $5.00. The Chesapeake Chapter also has a web page that can be accessed at -http://www.cheslights.org

A sugar bowl donated to Maine's Shore Village Lighthouse Museum is a rare addition to the museum's collection. Donated by Douglas & Barbara Cameron the bowl was of a later design and fancier than the issue style by the old U. S. Lighthouse Service. Ken Black, director and founder of the museum, said he had never seen one like it before. The 6"wide, 4" high bowl has an insignia on the side which says United States Lighthouse Service with a lighthouse stamped on it. The Camerons served on Maine's Pond Island Lighthouse in 1952, and through the sixties were keepers at other Maine lights, including Seguin, Browns Head, Mt. Desert, and Egg Rock Lights.

You heard about it here first. Lighthouse books continue to grow in popularity, with new books coming out on a regular basis. Coming in 1998 from Pineapple Press are: Georgia's Lighthouses and Historic Coastal Sites by Kevin McCarthy; Lighthouses of the Carolinas by Terence Zepke and Lighthouses of the Florida Keys by Love Winslow.

According to the Jacksonville, Florida Business Journal, the St. Augustine Lighthouse is among the state's top 20 tourist attractions. It was the only lighthouse to make the list. Hopefully, this will change, as more and more people realize just how much fun it is to visit Florida's lighthouses.

Wisconsin's Rawley Point Lighthouse, also know as the Twin River Point Lighthouse is now available on a beautiful afghan, as a fund raiser by the local historical society. You may recall that we did an extensive story on this lighthouse that included not only some great old photos, but personal memories. The afghan is available for $60.00 plus $6.95 shipping, from the Two Rivers Historical Society, 1622 Jefferson St., Two Rivers, WI 54241.

Many of the purchased bricks at Block Island, Rhode Island's North Light are now in place, with the names of the donors inscribed on them. Seven hundred and fifty bricks were sold at $50.00 each, and about 250 remain to be sold. That amount, however, doesn't make much of a dent in the money still needed to restore the lighthouse. It is estimated that it will take an additional $350,000 to finish the second and third floors of the station. The non profit group restoring the station hopes to make it into a bed and breakfast.

If you live in the Manitowoc, Wisconsin area and you need an accounting service, you might want to check out the offices of Lakeshore Accounting. The inside of their offices are decorated with a lighthouse theme.

The United States Coast Guard has officially announced that it has completed plans for the moving of Plymouth Light in Plymouth, MA. The lighthouse will be moved 210 feet away from the eroding cliff. The move is expected to take place this month.

President Clinton, along with his wife toured Block Island's Southeast Lighthouse in Rhode Island this past August. They even climbed to the top of the tower and waved to the crowd below. Clinton becomes the third President to visit the lighthouse, with previous visits having been made by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1958 and President Ulysses S. Grant in 1875.

Eight year old Chance Olson from Lubec, Maine managed to get on NBC's Today Show by holding up her giant drawing of West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. Live on the air she talked to the network's weatherman Al Roker about her hometown.

Oregon's Cape Blanco Lighthouse now features night tours. For a small fee, you get get a two hour tour of the lighthouse by a costumed Keeper, who tells tales of shipwrecks and historic details of the lighthouse.

This past summer, members of the North Shore Rotary Club in Two Harbors, MN, spent a lot of time scraping and painting the assistant keepers house at the Two Harbors Lighthouse.

Speaking of Two Harbors, their local Lake County Historical Society is a very busy group. They operate four different historical sites: the Depot Museum, the Two Harbors Lighthouse, the Edna G tugboat, and the 3-M Dawn Museum. If you are interested in joining this active group, membership is $15. 00 for an individual and $25.00 for family membership. Write to them at P.O. Box 313, Two Harbors, MN 55616.

Georgia artist, Linda Ray Lindeborg, has painted a limited edition print of Sapelo Island Lighthouse. The 18" x 24" print is being offered to the first 200 donors making a $1000 or larger, tax-deductible contribution to the fund raising efforts for the lighthouse. To order the print, or for additional information on the print, or the restoration efforts at the lighthouse, write to: Sapelo Island Restoration Foundation, Inc., 205 Butler Street, S.E. Suite 1252, Atlanta, GA 30334.

This story appeared in the October 1997 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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