Pomham Rocks Group Honored

Congratulations to the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, for being honored with the Rhody Award for Historic Preservation by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. The Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is located on an island in the Providence River in Providence, Rhode Island.

Harry E. Spencer, Jr. Dies

We are saddened to report on the passing of World War II veteran Harry E. Spencer, Jr., 98, of Lewes, Delaware, who grew up at the Liston Range Lighthouses where his father was the lighthouse keeper. He was an active and dedicated member of the Delaware River and Bay Lighthouse Foundation. Stories about Harry Spencer, Jr. have appeared in Lighthouse Digest titled, “Walking in the Steps of the Keeper” (December 2001 edition), “Growing Up as a Lighthouse Kid” (April 2003 edition) and “Harry Spencer “Builds” Liston Range for Lighthouse Education” (April 2005 edition). All the stories can be found in our on-line archives. Again, we have lost yet another person who had first-hand memories of living at a lighthouse in the days of the old U.S. Lighthouse Service. He was always willing to share those memories with everyone. Our condolences go out to his family and friends. Harry Spencer, Jr. is shown here in 2005 with models of the Liston Range Lighthouses that he built.

Coast Guard Hero Dies

Andrew Fitzgerald, 82, the last surviving member of the Coast Guard crew aboard the motor lifeboat 36500 during the historic and heroic rescue of 32 seamen off the stricken oil tanker Pendelton, has died. Fitzgerald was instrumental in working on the making of the book and then the Disney movie, The Finest Hours, in what many believe was the most dramatic rescue in Coast Guard history. Both the book and the DVD of the movie are available from Lighthouse Digest. If you don’t have these in your collection, we highly recommend both as they tell the true account of these brave men who should never be forgotten.

Keeper Shortage

The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees stated this past October that more than a dozen of the permanent lighthouse keeper positions at British Columbia’s 27 still staffed lighthouses were vacant. British Columbia is one of the few places where there are still staffed lighthouses, mainly due to public safety concerns. Apparently, as the older keepers are retiring, the Canadian Coast Guard was having trouble attracting new recruits for some of its remote light stations. However, the Canadian Coast Guard issued a statement that said they now have a number of new applicants and hopefully the tide is turning. Trial Island Lighthouse, shown here, near Victoria, BC is one of the Canadian lighthouses still staffed.

Government Considers Lighthouse Demolition

Local authorities and officials of the government of the Netherlands are trying to figure out what to do with the no longer being used 217-foot tall Maasvlakte Lighthouse. The yellow and black striped lighthouse is only 45 years old. It once stood on water’s edge, but it is now surrounded by land. One serious option being considered is to tear the lighthouse down. Obviously, the Dutch Lighthouse Society wants it saved as a historic site, but that will require a lot of money.

Green Cape Lit for Birthday

The 135th anniversary of Australia’s Green Cape Lighthouse was celebrated this past November with a relighting of the lighthouse for one night only, the first time in 10 years. Locals celebrated the night with a sausage sizzle at the lighthouse. The Green Cape Lighthouse is the southernmost lighthouse in Australia. Built between 1991 and 1883, it was the first lighthouse in Australia to be built of concrete and, at 95 feet tall, it is the second tallest lighthouse in New South Wales.

Highland Light Tower Closed for Restoration

Cape Cod’s Highland Lighthouse in Truro, Massachusetts will be closed for climbing during the 2019 season as the 1857 tower undergoes a $1.2 million restoration. When the lighthouse was moved 450 feet back from the eroding shoreline in 1996, air spaces in the lower part of the tower that enabled air flow were filled in to provide extra strength during the historic move. However, that promoted moisture which, over time, led to some serious problems including cracks in the tower.

Money for Morris

South Carolina’s endangered Morris Island Lighthouse is getting $175,000 in state funds toward the third phase of restoration of the tower. Al Hitchcock of Save the Light said “Time is not on our side. We know over the next five years we’ve got to raise $5 million.”

Time Capsule Found

This past October, a construction crew working on the restoration of California’s Point Reyes Lighthouse discovered a nook within the walls of the lighthouse that contained some old newspapers from 1929, and a board that said, “This box was built by G.W. Jaehne, lighthouse keeper in charge and his assistant H.W. Miller.” Although there was nothing of major historical significance, the newspapers, dated August 19, 1929 from the San Francisco Examiner and The Defender, did provide a lot of insight as to what was happening in the world at that time that could be considered similar to what is happening today. One example was that the Senate was debating immigration reform and the potential repeal of the National Origins Act of 1924 that some viewed as discriminating unfairly against immigrants from Germany, the Irish Free State, and Scandinavian countries.

Book Wins Award

The book Lighthouses of America by Tom Beard has been awarded a Gold Medal for best Pictorial/Coffee Table Book by the Military Writers Society of America. The book is available from Lighthouse Digest as item #2199 for $19.95 plus shipping at www.LighthouseDigest.com or by calling (207)259-2121.

Refurbishing Piedras Blancas Lens

Under the direction of Jim Woodward, one of the nation’s leading experts on Fresnel lenses, a team of volunteers have taken on the task, of cleaning and when necessary, repairing, the 1st order Fresnel lens and clockwork mechanism that once stood atop California’s Piedras Blancas Lighthouse. The lens is now on display under a glass enclosure that was built in 1996 to protect it where it is displayed next to the Veteran’s Memorial Building in Cambria, California. The lens is shown here after it was removed from the lighthouse after a New Year’s Eve 1948 earthquake.

South Korea Light Relit

After being dark for 45 years, South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island Lighthouse has been relighted amid a mood of inter-Korean reconciliation, which has led to more fishing in the area. Built in 1960, the lighthouse was discontinued in 1974 and its keeper was removed. When the lighthouse was discontinued, GPS blocking equipment had been installed in the lighthouse, which has now been removed

Gasparilla Relighting

Florida’s Gasparilla Lighthouse will be relighted on February 9th with an exact replica of the Fresnel lens that was once in the tower.

Keeper’s House Destroyed

The former keeper’s house of Michigan’s Saginaw Front Range Lighthouse that dated back to 1905 was demolished last July. Reportedly, the structure had deteriorated beyond repair. The Saginaw Front Range Lighthouse had previously been demolished in the 1960s.

Sand Point Gets Some Money

The 1878 Sand Point Lighthouse in Baraga, Michigan has received a $10,000 grant toward the restoration of the lighthouse. Since the grant falls far short of what is needed for a complete restoration, the money will be used on the upper portions of the tower. The lantern and windows will be removed so that the wood deck and supports can be replaced.

Lighthouse Repairs Now Need Repairs

It seems that the recent repairs done to the Port Isabel Lighthouse, in Port Isabel, Texas, that were originally supposed to take a couple of months in 2017 and took a year to complete, now need repairs themselves. Sounds like somebody did not do their job correctly.

This story appeared in the Jan/Feb 2019 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.

All contents copyright © 1995-2024 by Lighthouse Digest®, Inc. No story, photograph, or any other item on this website may be reprinted or reproduced without the express permission of Lighthouse Digest. For contact information, click here.